Department for Transport

Department for Transport: Ministerial Policy Advisers

Mr Virendra Sharma: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what the (a) policy and (b) other responsibilities are of each special adviser in his Department.

Mr Robert Goodwill: I refer the Hon Member to the answer given by my Rt Hon Friend, the Minister for the Cabinet Office (Matthew Hancock) on 29 February 2016, UIN 27946 (http://www.parliament.uk/business/publications/written-questions-answers-statements/written-questions-answers/?page=1&max=20&questiontype=AllQuestions&house=commons%2clords&member=1604&dept=53&uin=27946).

Department for Transport: Health

Mr Virendra Sharma: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what his Department's wellness strategy is.

Mr Robert Goodwill: The Department is committed to the health and wellbeing of its staff and has developed a wellbeing strategy with a ‘5 steps to improve wellbeing’ approach.

Railways: South of England

Dr Andrew Murrison: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether his Department has made an assessment of the potential of Westbury to become the north-south/east-west rail hub for the central south of England.

Claire Perry: The importance of Westbury as an interchange station for South West Trains and Great Western Rail services is not underestimated by the Department, and is already a mini hub and crew point for some of the inter-regional services (Bristol to Portsmouth and Weymouth). However, Bristol is the key hub for the region, and the Department has therefore made no such assessment regarding Westbury.

Railways: Franchises

Matthew Pennycook: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps his Department is taking to ensure that UK rail operators who may lose their franchise as a result of the recently announced proposals to transfer the responsibility for inner suburban rail services in London from his Department to Transport for London maintain and improve their services while this change takes place.

Claire Perry: No current franchises will be affected by the proposals, therefore we would not expect to see any operator lose their franchise as a result. The proposed transfer will take place at the start of, or within the, successor franchises.

London Underground: Safety

Kate Hoey: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if he will make an assessment of the effect on passenger safety of reduced staff numbers on London Underground.

Mr Robert Goodwill: The safety of customers and staff is the top priority of Transport for London (TfL). TfL work as a team with London Underground (LU), the police, emergency services and my department, to prepare for, and deal with, incidents that threaten the security of the transport network. Station staff are supported by the LU Control Centre, which operates 24 hours a day, seven days a week, working closely with the police, with access to CCTV cameras and other systems in order to manage and respond to incidents. LU will continue to ensure there are sufficient staff in place to maintain each station’s security, congestion control and emergency plans.

London Underground: Safety

Kate Hoey: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if he will make an assessment of the effect on passenger safety of reducing staffing at control rooms on London Underground.

Mr Robert Goodwill: The department is confident that the changes introduced by Transport for London will not have a detrimental impact on passenger safety on the London Underground. Not every London Underground (LU) station has a Station Control Room, as they are not a safety or security requirement at all stations. In advance of making the recent changes, LU reviewed the requirement for a Control Room at each station to determine their necessity based on individual station and staff needs. At some locations it was decided that there was no longer a requirement for a Control Room as there were better ways to provide Control Room functionality in the station. Moving station staff into customer facing areas increases their ability to identify suspicious behaviour and to report it.

London Underground: Safety

Kate Hoey: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what discussions his Department has had with London Underground (LU) on the effect on passenger safety of reducing staffing on LU.

Mr Robert Goodwill: The Department’s Ministers and officials have regular meetings with Transport for London (TfL) where many issues are discussed, including TfL’s plans to change the way Underground stations are operated and staffed, and to improve the service they provide to customers. I am assured that the changes introduced by TfL will not have a detrimental impact on passenger safety.

Railways: Staff

Kate Hoey: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment he has made of the merits of staffing (a) railway stations and (b) trains.

Claire Perry: The safety of passengers and rail users is paramount on the railway and the Department for Transport would never do anything to put passengers at risk. We do regulate Ticket Office opening times through the Ticketing and Settlement Agreement, but staffing levels beyond this are a matter for the operators as we believe that they are best placed to determine how to meet the needs of their passengers.

Railways: Safety

Kate Hoey: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps he is taking to ensure that rail companies improve their passenger safety procedures.

Claire Perry: Britain is known for having one of the safest railways in Europe for both passengers and for workers, but we cannot be complacent. The Office of Rail and Road’s duty is to ensure that those responsible for keeping Britain's railways safe for passengers and providing a safe place for staff to work do so.

Network Rail: Land

Andrew Gwynne: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if he will take steps to reduce the amount of litter on Network Rail's land; and if he will make a statement.

Claire Perry: This is an operational matter for Network Rail, but I acknowledge the Honourable Member’s concerns and note the size of Network Rail’s estate. I have been informed by Network Rail that it has policies on litter removal that are consistent with current legislation and that it already takes all practicable measures within its resources. In cases where litter is on operational land, removal may only be dealt with when lines are closed for other maintenance activity, to avoid inconvenience to passengers and compromising safety. The company also prioritises litter clearance based on safety. Network Rail has a 24 hour National Helpline on 08457 11 41 41, whose remit includes handling requests from local authorities and the public, to clear line-side areas.

Roads: Litter

Andrew Gwynne: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if he will take steps to reduce the amount of litter on Highways England's road network; and if he will make a statement.

Andrew Jones: Highways England, as a Government Owned Company, is responsible for complying with the mandatory legal requirements under the Environmental Protection Act 1990, which includes removing litter on England’s motorways. Collecting litter puts road workers at risk and is a costly operation, so Highways England works collaboratively with a number of organisations to promote anti-litter campaigns.

Railways: WiFi

Dr Andrew Murrison: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what the timetable is for the provision of free Wi-Fi connections on board all (a) Network Rail and (b) Transport for London carriages.

Claire Perry: Network Rail does not run train carriages, however, working with train companies operating franchises in England and Wales, we have committed that 90% of passenger journeys will benefit from free Wi-Fi by the end of 2018. The decision on provision of free Wi-Fi within non-franchised operations, including Transport for London (TfL), is not a responsibility for the Department for Transport. Decisions relating to implementation of On-Train Wi-Fi within TfL carriages is devolved to the Mayor of London.

Air Traffic Control

Adam Afriyie: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if he will support changing the Air Traffic Management in the Future Airspace Strategy to give residents a higher priority than commercial interests.

Mr Robert Goodwill: As part of the Government’s ongoing review of its airspace and noise policies, consideration is being given to ensuring that an appropriate balance exists between the beneficiaries of airspace changes and residents who may be affected by them.

Rolling Stock

Michael Dugher: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how many heavy rail vehicles built before 1999 have not been refurbished to comply with (a) RVAR 10 and (b) PRM TSI regulations; and what proportion of the national heavy rail fleet meets those requirements.

Claire Perry: The total heavy rail fleet comprises 12,610 vehicles. Of these vehicles, 7,903 are either built or refurbished to be compliant with the applicable accessibility standards. This is 62.7% of the fleet. The equivalent proportion as at March 2010 was 45 per cent. Within those figures there are 6336 vehicles built pre-1999 in service. Of that figure, to date 1,628 vehicles have been refurbished to meet accessibility standards. We expect all the remaining vehicles to be made compliant, or replaced, by 2020. Some of the pre-1999 fleet will be replaced shortly under new rolling stock programmes such as IEP, and others, such as Pacers will no longer be in service by the 2020 accessibility compliance deadline.

Taxis: Greater London

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what discussions he has had with the Mayor of London on the effect on black taxi drivers of the operation of Uber in London.

Andrew Jones: We receive representations on a number of issues from the Mayor of London, and this has included the impact of the increasing number of private hire vehicles in London on congestion, air quality and parking issues on London’s road network. The Government is continuing to discuss with the Mayor ways of addressing these issues.

Regional Airports: Finance

Richard Burden: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how much of the Regional Air Connectivity Fund has not yet been allocated.

Mr Robert Goodwill: The Regional Air Connectivity Fund was announced by the previous Government to provide up to £20 million annually to maintain existing domestic air routes to London that may be withdrawn, and to support new air routes from airports handling fewer than 5 million passengers per annum though start-up aid. The Government has already made £5.2 million available to maintain the existing air links between Dundee and Stansted airports, and between Newquay and Gatwick airports, and will continue to consider support for other routes that may be withdrawn. In addition, the Department last year undertook a tender process for airlines to bid for funding for start-up aid for new air routes. A total of eleven bids were received and the government announced last November that up to £7 million would be provided to support all eleven routes. It is now for the airlines to start operating these routes, with payments from the fund made upon delivery of the agreed service. We are now considering whether to take forward further start-up funding rounds and will make an announcement later this year.

Transport: Trade Unions

Louise Haigh: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what he plans his Department's policy on industrial relations with transport unions to be over the next three years.

Claire Perry: Industrial relations within the transport industry are primarily managed by the service providers in that industry, e.g. the rail companies. The Department for Transport is committed to continuing to work constructively with the transport unions to deliver the best possible transport services. We will also develop and promote this Government’s trade union reforms as part of that relationship.

M6

Richard Burden: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if he will direct Highways England to give evidence to the public hearing on 18 March 2016 organised by the West Midlands Police and Crime Commissioner into closures and delays on the M6 on 4 and 5 February 2016.

Andrew Jones: Highways England is aware of the public hearing and has agreed to attend and give evidence.

Department for Transport: Overseas Aid

Wendy Morton: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what his Department's spending was in Overseas Development Aid on (a) 2013-14, (b) 2014-15 and (c) the first 10 months of 2015-16; and what the recipient countries of that aid were.

Mr Robert Goodwill: The Department for Transport carries out activities in Oversea Territories that feeds into the Overseas Development Aid. The Government published details of Overseas Development Aid at the Spending Review 2015 and further updates will be published in due course.

River Thames: Bridges

Stephen Metcalfe: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, for what reasons Highways England have not held consultation events on the proposals for a new Lower Thames Crossing in Stanford-le-Hope, Langdon Hills, Laindon, Dunton and other areas affected by those proposals.

Andrew Jones: The locations, venues and timings for the public consultation events (including five events held on a Saturday) were chosen to ensure that they were accessible to as many people as possible near to the potentially affected areas and the proposed route. A suitable venue was not available at the required time in Laindon and there was not a suitable venue in Stanford-le-Hope. However, there are public consultation events being undertaken nearby at Basildon and West Horndon. To note, Dunton is within 6 1/2 miles of Basildon and within 5 miles of West Horndon. Likewise, Langdon Hills is within 5 miles of Basildon and within 6 miles of West Horndon. To accommodate as many attendees as possible, the events are two weeks apart, with the events at both West Horndon and Basildon being 17 February 2016 and 1 March 2016 respectively.

A282

Stephen Metcalfe: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what plans are in place to upgrade the existing Dartford Crossing and the A282.

Andrew Jones: There are no current plans for upgrading the Dartford crossing and the A282. However, we are undertaking studies to identify options that could improve the traffic flow through the area. Until 24 March 2016 we are holding a public consultation on the proposed Lower Thames Crossing. This scheme would provide additional capacity to the existing Dartford-Thurrock crossings between Kent and Essex. This additional route should help reduce congestion on the current Dartford crossing and surrounding area.

River Thames: Bridges

Stephen Metcalfe: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether Option A for a new Lower Thames Crossing is still (a) included in the consultation and (b) considered by his Department to be a viable option.

Andrew Jones: In July 2014, the Secretary of State for Transport announced the next steps for delivering a new Lower Thames crossing. This led to Highways England launching a public consultation on its proposals that started on 26 January 2016. I can confirm that Option A is included within the consultation and remains an option for consideration. I would encourage all local communities and businesses to provide their views before the end of the consultation on the 24 March 2016.

Military Aircraft: Air Misses

Mr Kevan Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how many International Civil Aviation Organisation category (a) A and (b) B Airprox incidents there were in the (i) Scottish Flight Information Region/Upper Information Region and (ii) London Flight Information Region/Upper Information Region involved foreign military aircraft in each year since 2010; and in each of those incidents what the (A) type of foreign military aircraft involved and (B) country of origin was.

Mr Robert Goodwill: There were 2 Category (Cat.) (A) and 1 Cat. (B) Incident(s) in the Scottish Flight Information Region/Upper Information Region (Scottish FIR/UIR) and 1 Cat (A) and 4 Cat. (B) incidents in the London FIR/UIR. The table below outlines the type of military aircraft involved in each incident in both regions since 2010. Airprox NoDateRiskLocationAircraft TypeCountry of origin201206027/04/2012ALONDON FIRKC135 STRATOTANKERUSA201500904/02/2015BLONDON FIRF15 EAGLEUSA201303716/05/2013BLONDON FIRF15 EAGLEUSA201511114/07/2015BLONDON FIRC5 GALAXYUSA201512330/07/2015BLONDON FIRF15 EAGLEUSA201205724/04/2012ASCOTTISH FIRC130 HERCULESUSA201016313/10/2010ASCOTTISH FIRSAAB JAS39 GRIPENNot recorded201314910/10/2013BSCOTTISH FIRMIRAGE 2000FranceThe associated Airprox reports can be found on the UK Airprox board website (www.airproxboard.org.uk) under 'Reports and Analysis'.

China: Transport

Karl McCartney: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether the Government has made representations to the Chinese government to secure Chinese investment in transport infrastructure in Britain.

Mr Robert Goodwill: The UK and China governments seek to encourage companies in both countries to deepen co-operation and participation in high speed rail projects. In preparation for the letting of contracts relating to HS2, there have been some official-level contacts by the Department for Transport with companies in China, as there have with companies in other jurisdictions. The HS2 programme will continue to provide a great opportunity for businesses across the UK and, with this Government also funding the biggest rail modernisation since Victorian times, and the most extensive improvements to roads since the 1970s, there are a wide range of opportunities for people and businesses across the UK.

Transport: Mental Health

Richard Burden: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps he is taking to improve (a) awareness training of staff, (b) support and advice for staff and (c) appropriate facilities and provisions for passengers relating to mental health in (i) airports and aviation sector, (ii) roads infrastructure, (iii) freight, (iv) taxis and (v) shipping and maritime.

Andrew Jones: The Department for Transport is preparing a revised Accessibility Action Plan (AAP). The AAP will set out how we aim to support all operators so they can improve the quality of the disability awareness training and the travel assistance they offer to meet the needs of passengers with mental health issues across all modes. We plan for the AAP to be ready for wider consultation in the summer and that it will be published by the end of the year.

Highways Agency and Network Rail: Taxis

Lilian Greenwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how much (a) Network Rail and (b) the Highways Agency spent on hire cars in (i) 2014-15 and (ii) 2015-16 to date.

Claire Perry: Network Rail has spent the following on car hire: 2014-15: £8,020,7202015-16: £8,346,337 (year to date) Highways England (Formerly the Highways Agency) has spent the following on car hire: 2014-15: £631,9022015-16: £752,847 (year to date)

London City Airport

Richard Burden: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what discussions he has had with the new owners of London City Airport; what assessment he has made of the potential effect of the sale of that airport on airport capacity in the South East; and if he will make a statement.

Mr Robert Goodwill: There have been no discussions with the new owners of London City Airport.The purchase of London City Airport is a commercial matter between the relevant parties.

Department for Transport: Ministerial Policy Advisors

Lilian Greenwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how many people are employed as special advisers by his Department; and how many people were employed as special advisers by his Department on 1 January 2016.

Mr Robert Goodwill: The number of special advisers employed by the Department for Transport is published on a regular basis, the most recent information can be found at: https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/486829/List_of_Special_Advisers_in_post_at_17_December_2015.pdf .

Network Rail: Infrastructure

Lilian Greenwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how many (a) consultants and (b) permanent staff are employed by Network Rail's Infrastructure Projects division; and how much Network Rail has spent on consultants who work in its Infrastructure Projects division in (i) 2014-15 and (ii) 2015-16.

Claire Perry: I have requested this information from Network Rail and can confirm that the number of permanent staff in Infrastructure Projects in 2014-15 was 3641 and in 2015-2016 is 4309. During this period Network Rail insourced the High Output Team from Amey which increased permanent staff figures. Network Rail Infrastructure Projects’ expenditure on companies that class themselves as providing consultancy in 2014-15 was £178,401k, and in 2015-2016 is £154,430k. The majority of expenditure on consultants occurs via Network Rail’s Principal Contractors and therefore is not included above. We are not able to provide details of the number of consultants because the contract specification for each piece of work is based on the deliverable and not on the number of consultants working on it.

Railways: Fares

Lilian Greenwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what estimate he has made of the cost to the public purse in 2016 of (a) raising regulated national rail fares by the retail price index and (b) removing train operators' flexibility to vary regulated fare levels within the basket of fares in 2016.

Claire Perry: We know that passengers are concerned about the cost of fares. That is why we have capped regulated fares at the level of the Retail Price Index (RPI) for three years running, and will continue to do so for the life of this parliament. We have also removed the flex which allowed train operators’ flexibility to vary regulated fare levels within the basket. The estimated cost to the Department in 2016 is, £30.4 million (in nominal prices) for capping regulated rail fares at RPI+0%, and £6 million (in nominal prices) for removing the flex.

Home Office

Home Office: Ministerial Policy Advisors

Mr Virendra Sharma: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what the (a) policy and (b) other responsibilities are of each special adviser in her Department.

Karen Bradley: The Code of Conduct for Special Advisers sets out the role of special advisers and describes the range of activities they may undertake. Copies of the Code of Conduct are available in the Libraries of the House and on-line at: https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/468340/CODE_OF_CONDUCT_FOR_SPECIAL_ADVISERS_-_15_OCTOBER_2015_FINAL.pdf

Asylum: Housing

Stuart C. McDonald: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how much was levied in respect of service credits in each key performance indicator designated met in respect of each Compass region in each year from 2012-13 to 2015-16 to date.

James Brokenshire: Holding answer received on 29 February 2016



The Home Office has a rigorous contract compliance regime in place to ensure that the required performance standards expected of all providers, as defined in the contracts, are met. This includes monthly contract management and quarterly strategic review meetings, as well as regular daily discussions with COMPASS providers’ operational delivery managers about day to day issues. The Home Office investigates complaints it receives from service users and third parties and works with contractors to ensure that any issues raised are addressed promptly.Performance against each key performance indicator (KPI) is measured and may, dependent upon the level of non-conformance, lead to the application of a KPI score. The overall/total score across all KPIs is then used to determine the value of Service Credit (rebate) which should be deducted from the monthly invoice. If an individual KPI is met, no score is accrued and no service credit applies. The following table indicates the amount of service credits recovered following KPI non-conformance for each of the COMPASS contracts from the start of the contracts.  2013-20142014-20152015-2016 (YTD)TOTALSerco SNI£773, 792£156,156£443, 545£1,373,493Serco NW£3,137, 017£1,9740£3,138,991G4S MEE£1,349, 47500£1,349, 475G4S NEYH£368, 10700£368, 107CRH WSW0000CRH LSE0000TOTAL£5,628, 391£158,130£443, 545£6,230,066

Human Trafficking

Julian Knight: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps the Government is taking to counter people trafficking.

Karen Bradley: We are committed to tackling people trafficking and all forms of modern slavery. The Modern Slavery Act 2015 gives law enforcement agencies the tools they need to tackle modern slavery, ensures that perpetrators can receive suitably severe sentences up to life imprisonment, enhances support and protection for victims and places a duty on large businesses to report on what they are doing to stop modern slavery occurring in their global supply chains. We have successfully lobbied for the establishment of the first ever UN Sustainable Development Goal to end modern slavery and are working with a range of international partners to tackle slavery and its causes. We are also piloting a new approach to identifying and supporting potential victims of slavery through the National Referral Mechanism and we have appointed an Independent Anti-Slavery Commissioner to spread best practice in the UK and overseas.

Animal Experiments: Licensing

Angela Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many project licence applications under the Animals (Scientific Procedures) Act 1986 were (a) granted and (b) refused on the basis of the results of the harm-benefit analysis carried out on those applications by the Animals in Science Regulation Unit.

Karen Bradley: I refer the Hon. Member to the response I previously provided to her question on 4 February 2016 (24508). The Home Office does not keep records of applications that have been rejected / refused or withdrawn at the concept or at the drafting stage.

Home Office: Consultants

Jonathan Ashworth: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many consultants' contracts were terminated early in each of the last six years for which figures are available; and what the cost of each such termination was in each of those years.

Karen Bradley: The Home Department procures consultancy as a service against deliverables and outputs and not in terms of individuals. The Home Department has not terminated any consultancy service engagements early in any of the last six years and therefore has not incurred any such costs.

Home Office: Overtime

Jonathan Ashworth: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how much her Department has paid to staff in overtime in each of the last 24 months.

Karen Bradley: "Home Office overtime expenditure on overtime is published as part of the transparency data.Figures for January 2014 to December 2015 (the latest available month) can be found here:https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/workforce-management-information-2015https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/workforce-management-information-2014

National Wildlife Crime Unit

Richard Burden: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment her Department has made of the effect of the National Wildlife Crime Unit on reducing wildlife-related crimes.

Karen Bradley: The Home Office has not conducted an assessment of the effect the Unit has made on reducing wildlife-related crimes.

Animal Experiments: Inspections

Kelvin Hopkins: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many inspectors appointed under section 18 of the Animals (Scientific Procedures) Act 1986 are currently in post; what the complement for such inspectors is; how many of the inspectors are former personal or project licence holders; and what the turnover of inspectors so appointed has been over the last three calendar years.

Karen Bradley: There are 19 inspectors currently in post appointed under Section 18 of the Animals (Scientific Procedures) Act 1986. This figure includes the position of Chief Inspector. The Home Office is in the process of recruiting three further inspectors to bring the headcount to a complement of 22.The turnover of inspection staff over the last three years is as follows:YearNumber of inspectors left postNumber of inspectors recruited201345201446201560We do not hold information on whether inspectors are former project or personal licence holders. None of our inspectors currently hold either a personal or project licence.

Nature Conservation: Crime

Richard Burden: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps her Department is taking to reduce crimes against wildlife in the UK.

Karen Bradley: We fully understand the importance of tackling wildlife crime. This is reflected in the fact that, along with the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, the Home Office provides specific funding to support the work of the National Wildlife Crime Unit.The funding for the National Wildlife Crime Unit is in addition to the funding central Government provides to the police in England and Wales to tackle all types of crime, including wildlife crime. Additionally, Border Force leads the operational response in respect of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora.

Vetting: Greater London

Robert Neill: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, with reference to the Disclosure and Barring Service Statistics, published on 28 January 2016, what assessment she has made of the adequacy of the performance of the Metropolitan Police disclosure unit against the Disclosure and Barring Service service standards.

Robert Neill: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps she plans to take to reduce the time taken for London applicants to receive a response from Disclosure and Barring Service checks.

Karen Bradley: The Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) is working closely with the Metropolitan Police Service (MPS) to help MPS meet its Service Level Agreement targets. The performance of police disclosure units is an operational issue for individual police forces and the Disclosure and Barring Service.The Metropolitan Police Service (MPS) has established a Gold Group, on which DBS is represented, to oversee the recovery plan in place to reduce the time taken for applicants awaiting a response to Disclosure and Barring checks. I have made clear to the MPS that its current delays must be addressed as a matter of priority and I continue to maintain close oversight of the progress being made.

Foreign and Commonwealth Office

Al-Qaeda

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, if he will make an assessment of the effect on national security of members of al-Qaeda (a) in Saudi Arabia, (b) in refugee camps near the Syrian border and (c) among migrants traveling to Europe.

Mr Tobias Ellwood: Al Qaeda, and groups affiliated to it, continue to pose a threat to our national security, including British interests abroad, and remain a priority for the cross-government counter terrorism effort. We are aware of media reporting that terrorist groups have an ambition to infiltrate migration and refugee routes. We work closely with our partners abroad to counter terrorism, including to strengthen border security against identified terrorists and terrorist suspects. Access to the European border watchlist (Schengen Information System II) contributes to the UK’s ability to safeguard its national security, and we use this to make checks on individuals wishing to enter the UK from the Schengen zone.

Occupied Territories

David Mowat: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what assessment his Department has made of the extent of Israeli settlement-building in the occupied territories since the cessation of Operation Protective Edge.

Mr Tobias Ellwood: Israeli settlement building in the West Bank and East Jerusalem has continued since the cessation of Operation Protective Edge. In August 2014, the Israeli Government expropriated over 1000 acres of Palestinian land near Bethlehem, the largest expropriation in 30 years. In September 2014, Israeli authorities approved 2610 units in Givat Hamatos. In 2015, according to Israeli Non-Government Office Peace Now, construction for 1800 previously-tendered housing units began in the settlements. New tenders for 1143 housing units were also published, 560 in the West Bank and 583 in East Jerusalem. 2016 has seen a number of concerning announcements, including: the extension of the Gush Etzion settlement to include the former church compound of Beit al Baraka; the declaration of 385 acres of land near Jericho as ‘state land’; and approval for a further 153 settlement units. We strongly urge the Israeli Government to reverse its policy over illegal settlements.

Papua: Press Freedom

Mr Andrew Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, if he will make representations to his Indonesian counterpart on freedom of access by journalists to West Papua.

Mr Hugo Swire: We welcome the Indonesian government’s commitment to improving the situation in the Indonesian provinces of Papua and West Papua. President Joko Widodo has visited 3 times since his election, most recently spending New Year in Papua. During his visit in May 2015, he granted clemency to a number of prisoners and announced the lifting of travel restrictions for foreign journalists and international organizations. Since then, a number of foreign journalists have successfully visited and reported from Papua and West Papua. Our Ambassador in Jakarta last visited Papua in January. As well as raising these issues, he also discussed ways to ensure the sustainable and equitable development of the provinces with members of the police, and religious and community leaders.

Papua: Non-governmental Organisations

Mr Andrew Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, if he will discuss with his Indonesian counterpart the restriction on non-governmental organisations working in West Papua.

Mr Hugo Swire: We welcome the Indonesian government’s commitment to improving the situation in the Indonesian provinces of Papua and West Papua. President Joko Widodo has visited 3 times since his election, most recently spending New Year in Papua. During his visit in May 2015, he granted clemency to a number of prisoners and announced the lifting of travel restrictions for foreign journalists and international organisations. Since then, a number of foreign journalists have successfully visited and reported from Papua and West Papua. Our Ambassador in Jakarta last visited Papua in January. As well as raising these issues, he also discussed ways to ensure the sustainable and equitable development of the provinces with members of the police, and religious and community leaders.

Syria

Jo Cox: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, when he plans to publish the next quarterly progress report to the House on Syria.

Mr Tobias Ellwood: The Government’s first quarterly progress report on Syria to the House was provided by the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs on 16 December 2015. On 8 February 2016, the Secretary of State for International Development provided a second quarterly progress report to the House.The next progress report will be provided by a relevant Minister in due course.

Foreign and Commonwealth Office: Visits Abroad

Dr Andrew Murrison: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, when his Department's guidance to overseas missions on hospitality for senior UK figures was last reviewed.

Mr David Lidington: Overseas Missions provide hospitality to guests to support the Government's objectives overseas.The Foreign and Commonwealth Office's guidance to staff on visits by Parliamentarians to our posts overseas was reviewed and updated in 2015.

Foreign and Commonwealth Office: Health

Mr Virendra Sharma: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what his Department's wellness strategy is.

Mr Tobias Ellwood: While the Foreign and Commonwealth Office does not have a specific “wellness” strategy we continue to develop and implement our “Health and Safety” (HS) strategy which embraces many aspects of wellbeing. As well as reducing work related accidents and staff absence our HS program will also improve staff wellbeing.

Foreign and Commonwealth Office: Ministerial Policy Advisers

Mr Virendra Sharma: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what the (a) policy and (b) other responsibilities are of each special adviser in his Department.

Mr Tobias Ellwood: The Code of Conduct for Special Advisers sets out the role of special advisers and describes the range of activities they may undertake. Copies of the Code of Conduct are available in the Libraries of the House and on-line at https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/468340/CODE_OF_CONDUCT_FOR_SPECIAL_ADVISERS_-_15_OCTOBER_2015_FINAL.pdf

Israel: Palestinians

Maria Caulfield: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what discussions his Department has had with the government of Israel on the extension of the Separation Barrier in the Cremisan Valley.

Mr Tobias Ellwood: Officials from our Embassy in Tel Aviv have raised the issue of the separation barrier through Cremisan Valley with the Israeli authorities repeatedly, most recently on 1 September 2015. Our Deputy Consul General to Jerusalem visited the Al Walajah and Khirbet Najjar areas of Beit Jala on 9 February 2016, where he was given an update on the impact of the barrier on residents.

Israel: Palestinians

Maria Caulfield: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what discussions his Department has had with the government of Israel on the international delegation of Bishops which was recently refused access to the Cremisan Valley by Israeli security forces during a visit to the construction site of the Separation Barrier.

Mr Tobias Ellwood: We have not raised this specific issue with the Israeli authorities. Officials from our Embassy in Tel Aviv have raised the issue of the separation barrier through the Cremisan Valley with the Israeli authorities repeatedly, most recently on 1 September 2015.

Israel: Christianity

Maria Caulfield: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what discussions his Department has had with the government of Israel concerning recent anti-Christian vandalism at the Dormition Abbey.

Mr Tobias Ellwood: While we have not had any discussions with the Israeli authorities over this specific incident, we understand that the Israeli police have arrested two Israeli teenagers for the attack. This attack was widely condemned by Palestinian and Israeli leaders. Our Embassy in Tel Aviv is in regular contact with representatives of Churches on a range of issues, including to discuss concern about attacks on places of worship.

Hungary: Immigration

Andy Slaughter: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what discussions he has had with the Hungarian government on the sale of residency bonds through off-shore companies.

Mr David Lidington: The Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, my right hon. Friend the Member for Runnymede and Weybridge (Mr Hammond) has had no discussions with the Hungarian government on this issue.

Romania: Mass Media

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what discussions his Department has had with the government of Romania about the activities of (a) Central Media Enterprise, (b) Adrian Sârbu and (c) Ronald Lauder in (i) 1995 to 1999, (ii) 2000 to 2010 and (iii) 2011 to 2015.

Mr David Lidington: I refer the hon. Member to my previous answers of 14 December 2015 (PQ 18601) and 17 December 2015 (PQ 19436). The information requested in the years prior to 2011 is not held centrally and can be obtained only at disproportionate cost.

Saudi Arabia: Arms Trade

Paul Flynn: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what discussions he has had with the UN Secretary General on the supply of arms and other military equipment sales to Saudi Arabia.

Mr Tobias Ellwood: The Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, my right hon. Friend the Member for Runnymede and Weybridge (Mr Hammond), has had no discussions with the UN Secretary General on the supply of arms and other military equipment sales to Saudi Arabia.

Overseas Aid

Wendy Morton: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what his Department's spending was on Overseas Development Aid in (a) 2013-14, (b) 2014-15 and (c) the first 10 months of 2015-16; and what the recipient countries of that aid were.

Mr David Lidington: The Foreign and Commonwealth Office’s Official Development Assistance spending was:in financial year (FT) 2013-14 - £321 million;in FT 2014-15 - £344 million;and in the first 10 months of FY 2015-16 - £260 millionWe have provided ODA funds to all countries on the OECD Development Assistance Committee (DAC) list except for Central African Republic, Djibouti, Sao Tome and Principe, Micronesia, Tokelau, Gabon, Niue, Palau, Wallis and Futuna. The DAC list can be found here: http://www.oecd.org/dac/stats/documentupload/DAC%20List%20of%20ODA%20Recipients%202014%20final.pdf.

European Council

Mr David Nuttall: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, in which court the commitment in point 7 of Section A of the Decision of the Heads of State or Government, meeting within the European Council on 18 and 19 February 2016, to incorporate the substance of the section into the EU Treaties is enforceable.

Mr David Lidington: Holding answer received on 29 February 2016



The decision of the Heads of State or Government, meeting within the European Council, concerning a new settlement for the United Kingdom within the European Union, is legally binding. The Government is confident that all the commitments in the Decision will be implemented by the Member States and EU Institutions.

Middle East: Refugees

Andrew Percy: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what recent discussions he has had with his counterparts in the EU, Africa and the Middle East on addressing the refugee crisis in the Middle East.

Mr Tobias Ellwood: Foreign and Commonwealth Office ministers regularly discuss the migration and refugee crisis with their counterparts in Europe, Africa and the Middle East. The Supporting Syria and the Region Conference, co-hosted by the UK in London on 4 February, brought together over 60 countries, as well as international organisations, business, civil society, Syrians and people affected by the conflict. The Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, my right hon. Friend the Member for Runnymede and Weybridge (Mr Hammond) held bilateral talks with colleagues from a range of countries, and migration was a feature of many of those meetings. On 15 February, the Foreign Secretary attended the Foreign Affairs Council in Brussels, and discussed the crisis with ministers for foreign affairs from EU countries. My right hon. Friend, the Member for Aylesbury (Mr Lidington) attended the General Affairs Council in Brussels on 16 February, where he discussed migration with Europe ministers from EU countries. Migration was on the agenda at the European Council on 18-19 February, attended by the Prime Minister, my right hon. Friend the Member for Witney (Mr Cameron). It was also the main focus of the Justice and Home Affairs Council in Brussels on 25 February, attended by the Secretary of State for the Home Department, my right hon. Friend the Member for Maidenhead (Mrs May).

Turkey: Kurds

Martyn Day: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, if he will make representations to his Turkish counterpart on military action in the south east of Turkey and the consequences of that action for Kurdish civilians.

Mr David Lidington: I refer the hon. Member to my answer of 16 February 2016 (PQ 26321) to the hon. Member for Hornsey and Wood Green (Catherine West).

China: Overseas Trade

Karl McCartney: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what recent steps he has taken to assist UK firms to access Chinese markets.

Mr Hugo Swire: As part of the Government’s new ‘whole of Government’ Trade Strategy, Departments are working together to make it easier for UK businesses, including Small and Medium Enterprises, to take advantage of overseas opportunities. This includes significant opportunities in China, which generates over a quarter of global growth. The Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, my right Hon. Friend the Member for Runnymede and Weybridge (Mr Hammond) and the Chancellor of the Exchequer and First Secretary of State, my right Hon. Friend the member for Tatton (Mr Osborne) have both visited Beijing in 2016, in order to: emphasise the UK’s comparative advantages in sectors that are important to China’s ongoing economic reform; stress the importance of improved market access and a reliable business environment for British companies; and encourage China to address overcapacity. The Secretary of State for Business, my right Hon. Friend the Member for Bromsgrove (Mr Javid) also held talks with his counterpart in Birmingham in February, encouraging further Chinese investment into the regions of the UK. We will continue to take an active approach to strengthen bilateral investment and expand two-way trade with China.

China: Foreign Relations

Karl McCartney: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what recent assessment he has made of diplomatic and economic relations between China and the UK.

Mr Hugo Swire: Our relationship with China is stronger than ever. Last year’s State Visit by President Xi delivered £40bn in commercial deals, benefiting the UK economy, and establishing a new partnership to work together on global challenges. This global partnership is already delivering results, with the launch of a new visa agreement to boost tourism and business during the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, my right Hon. Friend the Member for Runnymede and Weybridge (Mr Hammond's) visit to Beijing in January. The Foreign Secretary has also intensified co-operation with China on the Syria crisis. The Chancellor of the Exchequer and First Secretary of State, my right Hon. Friend the Member for Tatton (Mr Osborne's) visit to China last week was a further opportunity to strengthen economic co-operation bilaterally and through the G20, and encourage China to open up further to foreign investment and address over-capacity. The Government has a relationship with China which maximises the opportunities for the UK and allows frank discussion of difficult issues, such as human rights

Northern Ireland Office

Northern Ireland Office: Ministerial Policy Advisors

Mr Virendra Sharma: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, what the (a) policy and (b) other responsibilities are of each special adviser in her Department.

Mrs Theresa Villiers: I refer the hon Gentleman to the answer given by my hon Friend, the Minister for the Cabinet Office and Paymaster General, on 29 February 2016.

Northern Ireland Office: Cleaning Services

Catherine West: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, what the rate of pay is for cleaners in her Department.

Mrs Theresa Villiers: My Department directly employs one Band F cleaner whose rate of pay is between £15,440-£16,000 per year. We also have a contract with Serco to provide cleaners at an hourly rate of £7.65. These cleaners all work in our Belfast office.

Terrorism: Northern Ireland

Graham Evans: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, what recent assessment she has made of the level of the threat of terrorism in Northern Ireland.

Mrs Theresa Villiers: The threat level in Northern Ireland is SEVERE meaning an attack is highly likely. Threat levels are kept under constant review.There were 16 national security attacks in 2015 and there has been one so far this year. Many more attacks and murders by violent dissident republicans have been foiled.

Organised Crime: Northern Ireland

Chris Green: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, what steps the Government is taking to tackle organised crime in Northern Ireland.

Mrs Theresa Villiers: I refer the hon Gentleman to the answer I gave earlier today to the hon Member for Tonbridge and Malling.

Trade: Ireland

Danny Kinahan: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, what assessment she has made of the potential effect of the UK leaving the EU on cross-border trade in Northern Ireland.

Mr Ben Wallace: As the Prime Minister has made clear, the United Kingdom will be stronger, safer and better off by remaining in a reformed European Union. This includes Northern Ireland, where UK membership of the EU helps ensure a stable and secure relationship for trade and investment within the Union and in particular with its largest export partner, the Republic of Ireland.

Attorney General

Harassment: Prosecutions

Luciana Berger: To ask the Attorney General, what account the CPS takes of mental health conditions when deciding whether to prosecute people under the Protection from Harassment Act 1997.

Robert Buckland: The Crown Prosecution Service is committed to taking into account the mental health condition of an offender when considering bringing a prosecution. Each case is considered on its merits, taking into account all available information about any mental health issues, and their relevance to the offence, in accordance with the principles set out in the Code for Crown Prosecutors (the Code). The Code explains that there is a balance to be struck between the public interest in diverting a defendant with significant mental illness from the criminal justice system and other public interest factors in favour of prosecution, including the need to safeguard the public.

Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

Trade Promotion: South West

David Warburton: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what steps he is taking to promote opportunities for businesses in the South West to access high growth markets abroad.

Anna Soubry: This financial year UK Trade & Investment (UKTI) has helped more than 800 South West (SW) businesses access new markets. UKTI’s Passport to Export programme provided intensive support to 170 companies entering new markets including high growth markets (HGMs) such as China and UAE. A further 850 South West business delegates have attended business clinics and seminars promoting export opportunities including those in HGMs. During Export Week in November 2015, 233 business delegates had 787 one-to-one meetings with 69 visiting overseas Trade Officers at the ExploreExport event in Bristol. Additionally, in December alone SW businesses responded to 116 Export Opportunities as part of the Exporting is Great campaign, including 25 in China. To date UKTI South West has issued 119 Market Visit Grants to businesses, 42 of which were to HGMs. UKTI South West activity is supported by a High Impact in Growth Economies programme funded by the European Regional Development Fund. That programme has assisted forty South West SMEs to trade successfully in Brazil. Focused mainly on sectors with innovative high value products the programme is forecast to increase employment in the region by 260 jobs by 2017 as well as adding £100 million to South West export sales by 2020. UKTI South West aims to continue the programme by targeting further high growth markets over the next 3 years including Mexico, Cuba, Chile, China, India, Malaysia, Singapore and Brazil.

Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership

Martyn Day: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what assessment the Prime Minister has made of the potential effect of the investor state dispute settlement clause of the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership on public services managed by the Scottish government.

Anna Soubry: The inclusion of investment protections and investor-state dispute settlement (ISDS) provisions in the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP) should not affect how public services are provided in Scotland or the rest of the UK. Investment protection seeks to protect businesses and individuals who have made investments overseas from unfair or discriminatory treatment and ISDS is about providing an independent legal means to resolve disputes which have arisen under the treaty. The proposals cannot force governments to open markets or privatise public services. The UK has bilateral investment agreements with over 90 countries which contain ISDS provisions and there has never been a successful claim brought against the UK.

Business: Advisory Services

Mr Barry Sheerman: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, whether his Department has conducted an impact assessment on the closure of the Business Growth Service.

Anna Soubry: As a Spending Review decision, closure of the Business Growth Service (BGS) was not subject to a formal impact assessment. We do not expect closure of the BGS to have an impact on small businesses and entrepreneurs.

Employment: Telephone Services

Paul Blomfield: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, pursuant to the Answer of 3 February 2016 to Question 25610, on minimum wage, what the average call time was to the Pay and Work Rights and ACAS helplines;  how many calls reached an ACAS operative; what definition of call was used in the data provided; and what translation facilities are available on the ACAS helpline.

Nick Boles: The average length of calls for the former Pay and Work Rights Helpline was 6 minutes 32 seconds. For the Acas Helpline which covers all call types, not just National Minimum Wage (NMW), the average length of calls is 7 minutes 54 secondsBetween April 2015 and January 2016, the latest period for which data is available, Acas have handled 768,849 calls on workplace relations and employment law.The data collected by the Acas Helpline records the topics discussed by a caller. The figures show that there were 9,800 calls specifically related to NMW legislation and 3,700 where the caller was specifically concerned with non-payment or deductions related to the NMW. Some callers may have had queries about both subjects but due to the complexity of the data we cannot identify the number of callers that would fall into this category.The Acas Helpline uses LanguageLine to allow real time translation with customers over the phone. Callers can request a translator at any stage in the call. A translator will join the call via a conference call, usually within seconds.

Apprentices: Taxation

Lyn Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what academic research he has commissioned on the expected behavioural response of employers to the introduction of the apprenticeship levy.

Nick Boles: The Department for Business, Innovation and Skills have commissioned academics at The Institute of Employment Research and IFF Research to undertake detailed research into employers’ response to the apprenticeship levy. We expect to be able to publish this in late summer 2016.Additionally we are in the process of commissioning further independent work in this area.

Department for Business, Innovation and Skills: Ministerial Policy Advisers

Mr Virendra Sharma: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what the (a) policy and (b) other responsibilities are of each special adviser in his Department.

Joseph Johnson: I refer the hon. Member to the answer given by my right hon. Friend the Minister for the Cabinet Office on 29 February 2016 to Question UIN 27946.

Heating

Matthew Pennycook: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, whether energy suppliers are obligated to report to the National Measurement and Regulation Office when a heat network is established or a lease is acquired.

Joseph Johnson: Under Regulation 3(2)(b) of The Heat Network (Metering and Billing) Regulations 2014 heat suppliers have a duty to notify the National Measurement and Regulation Office in relation to a district heat network or communal heating that commences operation after 31st December 2015, on or before the first date of operation.If a change of ownership occurs (or a lease is acquired) on a district heat network or communal heating that has already been notified there is no requirement to re-notify within four years of the date of the first notification submitted. If the network has not been previously notified, then the duty to notify applies.

Apprentices: Publicity

Lady Hermon: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, pursuant to the Answer of 10 February 2016 to Question 25652, what media outlets will be used to carry advertising as part of the national campaign for apprenticeships.

Nick Boles: The national campaign for apprenticeships will target a range of audiences including young people, employers and parents. Advertising will be through a number of different media channels including television, out of home advertising (e.g. posters), radio, digital and social media.

Minimum Wage: Enforcement

Paul Blomfield: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, whether employers named and shamed by his Department on 5 February 2016 for non-payment of the national minimum wage and found to be owing arrears to a select number of employees subsequently had their whole workforce investigated by HM Revenue and Customs to ascertain if the same practice applied to all other workers employed.

Nick Boles: HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) fully investigate all worker complaints and where they identify arrears of pay, issue a Notice of Underpayment to recover arrears for the complainant. Since 2015, HMRC have also instructed the employer to "self-correct" for all other workers and report the details to HMRC. An assurance process is in place to make sure employers have fully self-corrected. If they do not, and HMRC believes other workers are likely to have been underpaid, the employer will be investigated again. HMRC are unable to provide an exact figure for how many of the 92 employers have been investigated beyond the original complaint. The information is not readily available and could only be obtained at disproportionate cost.

Apprentices: Taxation

Mr Iain Wright: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what assessment his Department has made of the effect of the apprenticeship levy on training and skills funding for people aged over 21.

Nick Boles: The combination of the apprenticeship levy, the protection of the Adult Education Budget and the extension of loans mean that by 2019-20 the total spending power of the FE sector to support participation will be £3.41bn, an increase in cash terms of 40% compared with 2015-16.

Apprentices: Taxation

Mr Iain Wright: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, whether his Department intends to cease any existing or planned business support mechanisms in order to implement the apprenticeship levy.

Nick Boles: We are not cutting business support mechanisms to implement the levy. We are improving our business services by developing the Digital Apprenticeship Service. Through this online mechanism employers will have access to a number of services to help them choose and pay for apprenticeship training in a simple way.

Institute of Apprenticeships: Costs

Mr Iain Wright: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what the estimated (a) cost of establishing and (b) annual running cost of the Institute of Apprenticeships is; whether his Department has made an assessment of the effects of funding that institute on his Department's annual programme budget; and if he will make a statement.

Nick Boles: The final size and structure of the Institute for Apprenticeships will be determined by the shadow chair and CEO later in the spring and this will then determine its final running cost. The body will be funded by Government using public funds, as the rest of the governance system is, and it is expected that some funding will be freed up from savings across the Department.

Apprentices: Taxation

Mr Iain Wright: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, if he will publish his Department's impact assessment of the apprenticeship levy.

Nick Boles: HM Treasury published a Tax Information and Impact Note on 4 February 2016 athttps://www.gov.uk/government/publications/apprenticeship-levy/apprenticeship-levy.

ACAS: Telephone Services

Paul Blomfield: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, pursuant to the Answer of 11 February 2016 to Question 25610, how many national minimum wage enquiries were made to (a) the Pay and Work Rights Helpline and (b) Acas between 2009-10 and 2014-15 by (i) domiciliary and (ii) residential care workers.

Paul Blomfield: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, pursuant to the Answer of 11 February 2016 to Question 25610, how many national minimum wage enquiries relating to non-payment or deductions were made to (a) the Pay and Work Rights Helpline and (b) Acas by people working in (i) domiciliary and (ii) residential care between 2009-10 and 2014-15.

Nick Boles: Information on the number of enquiries to the Pay and Work Rights Helpline or Acas by workers from the ‘domiciliary care’ and ‘residential care’ sector is not available. The answer of 11 February 2016 to Question 25610 represents the most detailed breakdown of trade sector information available.

Overseas Aid

Nic Dakin: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, if he will publish details of the Global Challenges research fund announced in the Government strategy paper, UK aid: tackling global challenges in the national interest, published on 23 November 2015.

Joseph Johnson: I will publish further details of the Global Challenges Research Fund alongside allocation of the Science Budget shortly.

Apprentices: Finance

Phil Boswell: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what skills businesses in the retail and commercial enterprise sector are required to teach to apprentices to qualify for funding under the Government's apprenticeship programme.

Nick Boles: In England, apprenticeships must be undertaken under either an agreed Specification for Apprenticeships in England (SASE) framework or a new employer designed apprenticeship standard.Apprenticeship Frameworks Online (AFO) contains detailed information on all of the apprenticeship frameworks currently available. Apprentices can undertake apprenticeships in Retail and Retail Management under SASE.Employer-designed apprenticeship standards will replace apprenticeship frameworks. There are three new retail apprenticeship standards ready for delivery – Retailer, Retail Manager and Retail Team Leader. Each of these standards describes the skills, knowledge and behaviours that an apprentice needs to be competent in these occupations.

Apprentices: Finance

Phil Boswell: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what representations his Department received on the requirements to be set for businesses in the retail and commercial enterprise sector to qualify for funding under the apprenticeship programme before those requirements were determined.

Nick Boles: In England, to qualify for apprenticeships funding, an apprenticeship offered in any sector must comply with the Skills Funding Agency’s funding rules: https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/sfa-funding-rules-2016-to-2017.

Apprentices

Phil Boswell: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what steps his Department has taken and what mechanisms are in place to ensure that apprentices in the retail and commercial enterprise sector are taught skills that they would not otherwise be able to learn on the job under a normal employment contract.

Nick Boles: In England, apprenticeships are jobs with an accompanying skills development programme to support the individual to achieve full competency in an occupation. The apprentice develops through a wide mix of learning in the workplace, formal off-the-job training and the opportunity to practise new skills in a real work environment.A key expectation of apprenticeships is that they must be more than just training for a single job or employer: they must ensure that apprentices can adapt to a variety of roles, with different employers, and develop the ability to progress their careers. This is set out in the apprenticeship framework or standard.The list of apprenticeships frameworks available for employers and training organisations is available here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/apprenticeship-frameworks-live-listA list of all the apprenticeship standards approved by the Skills Funding Agency that are ready for employers and training organisations to use is available here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/apprenticeship-standards-ready-for-delivery

Manufacturing Industries

Phil Boswell: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, if he will make an assessment of the implications for his Department's practice in consulting manufacturers on policy of the findings by the Institution of Mechanical Engineers in its report, Engineered in Britain, on the proportion of manufacturers who consider that the Government is performing well on manufacturing policy.

Anna Soubry: The Institution of Mechanical Engineers report “Engineered in Britain” states that the proportion of manufacturers who consider that the Government is performing well on manufacturing policy rose from 12% in 2011 to 24% in 2015. BIS Ministers and officials hold regular discussions with manufacturing companies and their representatives, including the Sector Councils, to develop a clear understanding of the capabilities and needs of UK manufacturing. Most recently, my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills spoke at the EEF National Manufacturing Conference on 24 February 2016 and I attended and spoke at the EEF National Manufacturing Dinner on the same date.

Manufacturing Industries: Apprentices

Phil Boswell: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, if he will make an assessment of the implications for his policy on apprenticeships of the finding of the Institution of Mechanical Engineers in its report, Engineered in Britain, published in December 2015, on the number of manufacturers who would be encouraged to take on more apprentices if the Government provided £3,000 to any person who completed their apprenticeship.

Nick Boles: Apprenticeships are paid jobs. In October 2015 we increased the apprenticeship National Minimum Wage by over 20% to £3.30 per hour for apprentices aged under 19 and those aged 19 and over in the first year of their apprenticeship. Most employers pay more than this. The average gross hourly pay received by apprentices in England is £6.31 an hour for Level 2 and 3 apprentices and £9.69 for higher apprentices.Apprenticeships have excellent wage returns for individuals over their working life. These add up to between £48,000 and £74,000 for level 2 apprenticeships and between £77,000 and £117,000 for level 3 apprentices. Those completing an apprenticeship at level 4 or above could earn £150,000 more on average over their lifetime.These are the right long-term financial incentives for individuals to support the growth of apprenticeships towards 3 million new starts by 2020.

Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership

Mr Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what estimate he has made of how much of his Department's staff expenditure was specifically related to the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership agreement in each of the last three years; and if he will make a statement.

Mr Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, how many officials of his Department were employed specifically to assist with negotiations on the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership agreement in each of the last three years; and if he will make a statement

Mr Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what estimate he has made of the expenditure of his Department which specifically related to the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership agreement in each of the last three years; and if he will make a statement.

Anna Soubry: Holding answer received on 29 February 2016



  Prior to 1 April 2014 the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership was handled alongside a number of other trade negotiations. On 1 April 2014 my Department established a Unit whose primary purpose is to assist with the negotiation of the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership but which also handles certain other international matters. In April 2014 this Unit comprised 8 staff primarily working on TTIP and 4 working on other international matters. It currently comprises 10 staff working primarily of TTIP and 6 working on other international matters. Staff expenditure for this Unit in 14/15 was £793313, and in 15/16 is projected to be £916007. Total expenditure for this Unit in 14/15 was £886813 and in 15/16 is projected to be £926774.   .

Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership

Mr Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what assessment his Department has made of the likely timetable for conclusion of negotiations on the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership; and if he will make a statement.

Anna Soubry: There have now been twelve rounds of negotiations for the EU-US Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP). The twelfth round took place in Brussels last week. We are making progress and our ambition remains to reach a political agreement on the bulk of the deal during the Obama presidency.

Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership

Mr Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, how many representations he has received from (a) European and (b) American officials pertaining to the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership agreement in each of the last 12 months.

Anna Soubry: Holding answer received on 29 February 2016



Ministers and officials in the Department, for Business, Innovation and Skills are in regular contact with officials from the European Commission, EU Member States and US, as we work to secure a Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership agreement that benefits UK businesses, workers and consumers. This includes discussions with negotiators, legislators, administrations, and various other stakeholders from the EU and US.

Students: EU Nationals

Martyn Day: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what assessment he has made of the implications of a decision to leave the EU on the higher education fees status of EU students becoming classed in the same way as that for non-EU overseas students; and whether his Department plans to assess the potential effect of any such change in classification on the number of students coming from EU member states to study in the UK.

Joseph Johnson: At the February European Council, the Government negotiated a new settlement, giving the United Kingdom a special status in a reformed European Union. The Government's position, as set out by my right hon. Friend the Prime Minister to the House on 22 February, is that the UK will be stronger, safer and better off remaining in a reformed EU.

UK Membership of EU: Referendums

Paul Flynn: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, with reference to paragraph 2.41 of the Government's paper, The best of both worlds: the United Kingdom's special status in a reformed European Union, published in February 2016, what contribution he expects UK environmental and energy safety regulators to make to the annual survey referred to.

Anna Soubry: The European Commission’s Annual Burden Survey will support the Commission’s Regulatory Fitness (REFIT) Programme of withdrawals, repeals and reviews of existing EU legislation.Anyone, including UK environmental and energy safety regulators, can now submit comments about any area of EU legislation to the Commission’s ‘Lighten the Load – Have Your Say!’ website*. Suggestions received will be analysed by the Commission and may subsequently be put forward for action via the REFIT Programme. The Government will use the REFIT Programme and the Annual Burden Survey to ensure that the EU meets its commitments to simplify legislation, avoid over-regulation and reduce burdens on business.* http://ec.europa.eu/priorities/democratic-change/better-regulation/feedback/index_en.htm

Department for Business, Innovation and Skills: UK Membership of EU

Mr Douglas Carswell: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, with reference to the Prime Minister's Oral Statement of 22 February 2016, Official Report, column 35, on the European Council, whether his Department is undertaking planning in the eventuality of a majority leave vote in the EU referendum.

Anna Soubry: The Department for Business, Innovation and Skills has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Iron and Steel

Dan Jarvis: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, if his Department will produce a strategy on how the UK's steel requirements will be met over the next (a) 12 months and (b) five years.

Anna Soubry: The Government’s believes that the best way to meet the UK’s steel needs over the next twelve months and five years is to ensure a viable future for the steel industry in Britain, as well as to work for fair and open global steel markets. To this end we have taken action on the five short-term asks of the steel industry, for example on unfairly-traded imports, energy costs, procurement, and emissions regulations. A new Steel Council will provide a forum for industry, unions and government to consider how to improve the competitive position of the UK steel sector in the longer term. We will continue to work actively with partners in this sector, local taskforces and the EU and International Community to support our steel industry.

Arms Trade: Saudi Arabia

Mr Roger Godsiff: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what the UK's policy is on the resolution passed by the European Parliament in February 2016 in favour of an embargo on the sale of arms to Saudi Arabia.

Anna Soubry: Her Majesty’s Government takes its export responsibilities very seriously and operates one of the most robust arms export control regimes in the world. All exports of arms and controlled military goods are assessed on a case-by-case basis against the Consolidated EU and National Arms Export Licensing Criteria, taking account of all relevant factors at the time of the application. This includes the UK’s obligations under Council Common Position 2008/944/CFSP. The UK is satisfied that we are not in breach of our international obligations, including under the Council Common Position 2008/944/CFSP. A licence will not be issued, to Saudi Arabia or any other destination, if to do so would be inconsistent with any provision of the mandatory UK Licensing Criteria.

Department for International Development

Jordan: Overseas Aid

Martyn Day: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, if she will increase aid to Jordan in order to help that country cope with the inflow of Syrian refugees.

Mr Desmond Swayne: At the Supporting Syria and the Region Conference, the Prime Minister announced that the UK will more than double our total pledge to the Syria crisis from £1.12 billion to over £2.3 billion. This funding will support those in need inside Syria and in the surrounding region which is dealing with the impact of the crisis, including Jordan. Final country allocations are still being decided but it is clear that aid from the UK in Jordan will rise compared to previous years.

Overseas Aid

Jess Phillips: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, for what reason her Department cancelled Round Six of the UK Aid Match Fund; for what reason that cancellation was not announced earlier; for what reason that cancellation was not announced earlier; and what assessment she has made of the effect of that cancellation on charities who were developing proposals.

Mr Desmond Swayne: The UKAid Match scheme has been a clear success in matching pound for pound public donations to charity appeals for projects changing lives in some of the poorest countries in the world. A sign of success is that some projects have substantially exceeded their fundraising targets. This has led to the programme’s full allocation of £120M being reached earlier than planned. DFID announced that there would not be a further funding round under the current programme as soon as it became clear that the budget had been fully allocated.The Government is committed to doubling UK Aid Match. This will provide further opportunities for charities who were developing proposals, including those intended for Round 6, to secure match funding for their appeals. Details of future funding opportunities will be set out in due course, including on the UK Government website.

Afghanistan: Economic Situation

Mr Ivan Lewis: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what assessment she has made of the potential effect of planned budget changes to her Department's Afghanistan Project on economic security in that country.

Mr Desmond Swayne: The UK remains committed to a long term partnership with Afghanistan, as I communicated to President Ghani when I visited in June 2015.It is worth noting that Afghanistan has made significant progress over the last decade, and the UK will continue our support to protect these hard-won gains. For example, UK support has helped ensure that more than 60% of the population now live within 2 hours walking distance of public health facilities, compared to only 9% in 2002. We have committed to spend £178m million in bilateral aid per year until at least 2017, and future commitments will be determined as part of the Bilateral Aid Review, due to be published shortly.

Department for International Development: Employment Tribunals Service

Jonathan Ashworth: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, how much her Department spent from the public purse on industrial tribunals in the last 12 months.

Mr Desmond Swayne: In the last 12 month period DFID has spent £84.30 on Industrial Tribunals.

Department for International Development: Cleaning Services

Catherine West: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what the rate of pay is for cleaners in her Department.

Mr Desmond Swayne: DFID has 2 headquarters in the UK, one in Whitehall and one in East Kilbride. The cleaning of both headquarter buildings is contracted out to MITIE Facilities Management. MITIE pay the cleaning staff the National Living wage in East Kilbride and the London Living wage in Whitehall.

Department for International Development: Consultants

Jonathan Ashworth: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, how many consultants' contracts were terminated early in each of the last six years for which figures are available; and what the cost of each such termination was in each of those years.

Mr Desmond Swayne: DFID does not hold specific information relating to termination of consultants’ contracts.

Department for International Development: UK Membership of EU

Mr Douglas Carswell: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, with reference to the Prime Minister's Oral Statement of 22 February 2016, Official Report, column 35, on the European Council, whether her Department is undertaking planning in the eventuality of a majority leave vote in the EU referendum.

Mr Nick Hurd: At the February European Council, the Government negotiated a new settlement, giving the United Kingdom a special status in a reformed European Union. The Government's position, as set out by the Prime Minister to the House on 22 February, is that the UK will be stronger, safer and better off remaining in a reformed EU.

Department for Education

Department for Education: Ministerial Policy Advisers

Mr Virendra Sharma: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what the (a) policy and (b) other responsibilities are of each special adviser in her Department.

Nick Gibb: All of the special advisers support the Secretary of State and Ministerial team across the full range of departmental business, reflecting the role description set out in the Code of Conduct for Special Advisers: https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/468340/code_of_conduct_for_special_advisers_-_15_october_2015_final.pdf

Department for Education: Health

Mr Virendra Sharma: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what her Department's wellness strategy is.

Nick Gibb: The Department for Education has a range of policies, procedures and other materials to promote and support the health and wellbeing of its employees.The Department’s Wellbeing Group runs regular events and campaigns to raise awareness of the importance of wellbeing. There is also a wellbeing week and an annual wellbeing award that recognises not just the promotion of wellbeing, but also how it has improved the wellbeing of others.An Employee Assistance Programme is available to all staff and provides support, information, and advice on a range of issues, including health and wellbeing, problems at work, relationships, legal matters, debt management. Telephone and face to face counselling is also available.

Education: Standards

Danny Kinahan: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether she has discussed the study, The impact of classroom design on pupils' learning, by Professor Barrett of Salford University, with her counterparts in the devolved administrations; and if she will make a statement.

Nick Gibb: The Secretary of State has not discussed the study, The Impact of Classroom Design on Pupils' Learning, by Professor Barrett of Salford University, with her counterparts in the devolved administrations.

Extracurricular Activities

Sir Edward Leigh: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, with reference to her Department's consultation on out-of-school education settings, launched on 26 November 2015, whether proposals to register out-of-school settings will require Ofsted inspectors to travel to Scotland, Wales or Northern Ireland to inspect tuition, training or instruction given outside of England by English-based institutions.

Edward Timpson: The Government wants children to be educated in a safe environment where they are not taught hateful and extremist views that undermine British values.The proposal to regulate out-of-school education settings, as set out in the recently published call for evidence, applies to settings located and operating in England only. It is not proposed that Ofsted inspect settings operating in the devolved administrations.Officials in the Department have been in contact with their counterparts in Wales and Scotland to discuss the proposal, but oversight of out-of-school education settings operating in those countries is a matter for the devolved administrations.

Academies: Redundancy Pay

Mr Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what estimate her Department has made for the total exit payments for academy chain staff in each year since 2011.

Edward Timpson: Holding answer received on 01 March 2016



The information is not available in the format requested but is recorded in the attached Education Funding Agency (EFA) annual report and accounts for financial years 2012-13 and 2013-14 and on GOV.UK. Data from before financial year 2012-13 is not available as this is when the Department for Education began consolidating academy trusts’ accounts into its own. Data for financial year 2014-15 will be available in due course when the EFA’s published accounts for that year are released.



EFA Annual Report and Account 2013-14
(PDF Document, 6.94 MB)




EFA Annual Report and Account  2012-13
(PDF Document, 1.11 MB)

Schools: Musical Instruments

Chi Onwurah: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what estimate her Department has made of the number of state (a) primary and (b) secondary students who are learning a musical instrument; and how many such students are learning that musical instrument for free.

Nick Gibb: Music is compulsory for all children in key stages 1-3 in maintained schools. One of the requirements of the National Curriculum is that pupils are taught to play musical instruments. Schools are not permitted to charge for teaching that is required by the National Curriculum. The Government is investing £75m in 2015-16 in a network of music education hubs. Music education hubs have four core roles, one of which is to ensure that every child aged 5-18 learns to play a musical instrument through whole class ensemble teaching. Data published by Arts Council England in March 2015 showed that 596,820 pupils in the academic year 2013/14 learned to play an instrument through whole class ensemble teaching. This teaching is provided free for pupils.The data is available here: http://www.artscouncil.org.uk/media/uploads/Music_Education_Hubs_2014_Report_final_March_2015.pdf. Arts Council England will publish data for the 2014-15 academic year in due course. This will include more extensive data on the number of pupils who have singing or instrumental lessons.

Department for Education: UK Membership of EU

Mr Douglas Carswell: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, with reference to the Prime Minister's Oral Statement of 22 February 2016, Official Report, column 35, on the European Council, whether her Department is undertaking planning in the eventuality of a majority leave vote in the EU referendum.

Nick Gibb: At the February European Council, the Government negotiated a new settlement, giving the United Kingdom a special status in a reformed European Union. The Government's position, as set out by the Prime Minister to the House on 22 February, is that the UK will be stronger, safer and better off remaining in a reformed EU.

Ministry of Justice

Custodial Treatment: Drugs

Dr Andrew Murrison: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many people were imprisoned for non-violent drug offences in each year since 2005.

Andrew Selous: This information is not held centrally.

Missing Persons: Guardianship

Kevin Hollinrake: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, if the Government will bring forward proposals for legislation to establish guardianship provisions to assist families in managing the affairs of missing persons.

Dominic Raab: I refer my hon. Friend to the reply given to my hon. Friend the Member for York Outer on 15 June 2015, which can be found at http://www.parliament.uk/business/publications/written-questions-answers-statements/written-question/Commons/2015-06-08/1400/.

Pathology: Staff

Shabana Mahmood: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many pathologists qualified to conduct post-mortems there were in (a) 2010 and (b) 2015.

Caroline Dinenage: The Department does not hold this information.

Ministry of Justice: Health

Mr Virendra Sharma: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what his Department's wellness strategy is.

Mike Penning: The Ministry of Justices (MoJ) Wellbeing strategy seeks to help foster a culture that promotes physical and mental wellbeing for all staff and to make the management of health and wellbeing part of our daily routine.

Prisoners: Compensation

Danny Kinahan: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many compensation claims against prison staff were made by prisoners in each of the last five years.

Andrew Selous: NOMS defend robustly all claims brought and successfully defend two thirds of claims brought by prisoners. It is not possible accurately to separate prisoner compensation claims against prison staff from other similar claims (e.g. assaults by other prisoners).

Surrogate Motherhood

Andrew Percy: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what assessment he has made of the effects on children and families of the parental orders procedure following surrogacy arrangements.

Caroline Dinenage: The Government has made no such assessment. Parental orders provide a mechanism to enable a couple who have entered into a surrogacy arrangement to become that child’s legal parents. There is no obligation to obtain a parental order but a couple who commission a surrogacy arrangement are advised and encouraged to do so in order to achieve a recognisable transfer of parenthood in the UK. In deciding whether to exercise its discretion and award a Parental order, the court has regard to all the facts of the case and the overriding importance of the welfare of the child throughout their life.

Prisoners' Release

Jo Stevens: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what the average number of months has been between the tariff expiry date of prisoners (a) with life sentences and (b) imprisoned for public protection and the date of their first release by the Parole Board in each year since 2005.

Andrew Selous: I am unable to provide the data you have requested within the timescales for this parliamentary question. I will write to you in due course with such data as officials can collate from casework systems.

Ministry of Justice: Employment Tribunals Service

Jonathan Ashworth: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how much his Department spent from the public purse on industrial tribunals in the last 12 months.

Mr Shailesh Vara: The cost of Employment Tribunals can be found within the HMCTS annual accounts published at: https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/433948/hmcts-annual-report-accounts-2014-15.pdf.

Prisons: Overcrowding

Jo Stevens: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what steps his Department has taken to reduce overcrowding on the prison estate in England and Wales; and if he will make a statement.

Andrew Selous: As the Secretary of State has said, the prison estate is overcrowded and out of date. That’s why we have announced that we will close down aging and ineffective prisons, replacing them with new facilities fit for the modern world. We are investing £1.3 billion to reform and modernise the prison estate to make it more efficient, safer and focused on supporting prisoner rehabilitation. In our new prisons we will design out those features that facilitate bullying, drug-taking and violence. We are also constructing a modern 2,106 place prison, HMP Berwyn, in North Wales, that will be opened in 2017 and are building two new house-blocks at existing prison sites Stocken and Rye Hill. We remain committed to ensuring that there are enough places for offenders sentenced to custody by the courts and making sure that these places are safe, decent and secure.

Leader of the House

Leader of the House of Commons: Ministerial Policy Advisers

Mr Virendra Sharma: To ask the Leader of the House, what the (a) policy and (b) other responsibilities are of each special adviser in his Office.

Chris Grayling: I refer the hon. Member to the answer given to him by my right hon. Friend the Minister for the Cabinet Office on 29 February 2016, to Question UIN 27946.

Department for Culture, Media and Sport

World War I: Anniversaries

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what plans the Government has to commemorate the 100th anniversary of the Battle of Gallipoli.

David Evennett: The two national events that marked the centenary of the battle of Gallipoli on 24th and 25th Apri 2015, were key commemorative events in the centenary programme. The first, a UK-led Commonwealth and Ireland Ceremony was held at the Commonwealth War Graves Commission’s Helles Memorial in Turkey on 24 April 2015, the eve of the centenary of the Gallipoli landings. This event was attended by The Prince of Wales, accompanied by Prince Harry, senior representatives of the nations involved in the Gallipoi Campaign and descendants. The Prince of Wales met with descendants on board the Royal Navy’s ship HMS Bulwark. The second, on Anzac Day, was held at the Cenotaph in Whitehall. This National Service of Commemoration event was attended by Her Majesty The Queen, senior representatives of the participant nations, and around 2500 descendants, included wreath-laying and a march past the Cenotaph led by military personnel.

Broadband

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, if he will estimate (a) public and (b) private sector involvement in developing ultra-fast FTTH broadband in 2014-15.

Mr Edward Vaizey: Virgin Media’s ultrafast network reaches around 45% of UK premises, whilst BT plan to make available ultrafast speeds to 10 million premises by 2020. Smaller providers, such as CityFibre, Gigaclear and Hyperoptic, are also investing to provide ultrafast services.The Government set up a UK Guarantee Scheme to support infrastructure projects, such as the £3 billion Virgin Media ultrafast broadband network expansion. In addition, the government is consulting on a new broadband investment fund, specifically to support the deployment of new broadband networks.

Public Holidays

Tristram Hunt: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what plans he has to restart work related to his Department's pre-consultation on moving the May Bank Holiday, published in 2011.

David Evennett: The Government looked at the current pattern of all bank and public holidays as part of the Tourism strategy published in 2011, which concluded there is no overall consensus for change. There are no plans to make another consultation on this subject.

Department for Culture, Media and Sport: Employment Tribunals Service

Jonathan Ashworth: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, how much his Department spent from the public purse on industrial tribunals in the last 12 months.

Mr Edward Vaizey: The cost of Employment Tribunals can be found within the HMCTS annual accounts published at: https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/433948/hmcts-annual-report-accounts-2014-15.pd

Gambling

Ronnie Cowan: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, on how many occasions he or officials of his Department have met representatives of high street bookmakers to discuss gambling since May 2015.

David Evennett: Details of my and the Minister for Sport and Tourism’s meetings with representatives of the bookmaking industry are available via the Department's transparency returns, which can be found at: https://www.gov.uk/search?q=quarterly+ministerial+returns&filter_organisations%5B%5D=department-for-culture-media-sport In addition, my officials have met representatives of bookmakers on numerous occasions to discuss issues related to gambling.

Broadcasting Programmes: Disability

Mr David Anderson: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, whether his Department has made an assessment of the extent to which the policies of broadcasters recruiting members of the public for quiz or game shows or similar programmes discriminate against people with disabilities.

Mr Edward Vaizey: Broadcasters are subject to the provisions of the Equality Act 2010 which legally protects disabled people from discrimination in the delivery of services and in wider society. This government is actively encouraging the industry to be proactive in increasing diversity on and off screen - including by increasing the representation of disabled people. Ed Vaizey hosted a conference in January that raised the wider issue of lack of representation of disabled people in the creative industries.

British Film Institute

Chi Onwurah: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what information his Department holds on the proportion of British Film Institute funding that was allocated to Hollywood studio films in the latest period for which figures are available; and what definition of Hollywood studio films is used in this context.

Mr Edward Vaizey: Hollywood studio films refer to films produced and distributed by a major studio based in the United States. No British Film Institute (BFI) funding has been awarded to any Hollywood studio film since the BFI became a Lottery distributor in 2011.

Department for Work and Pensions

National Insurance Contributions

Gavin Newlands: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what estimate his Department has made of the number of businesses which are planning to pass on the increase in their National Insurance contributions from April 2016 to their employees.

Gavin Newlands: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, with reference to Schedule 14 and Section 24 of the Pension Act 2014, how many employees have been affected by the introduction of the statutory over-ride which provides for employers who sponsor contracted-out occupational pensions schemes to pass on increases in national insurance contributions to employees.

Justin Tomlinson: The Department does not currently collect this information.

Department for Work and Pensions: Health

Mr Virendra Sharma: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what his Department's wellness strategy is.

Justin Tomlinson: DWP recognises the importance of good health and wellbeing and the positive impact this has on employee morale, engagement and performance. We have in place a comprehensive range of policies and measures to encourage and help employees. Particular interventions include: An Occupational Health service which supports employees during periods of ill health and absence, enabling them to remain in work/return to work more quickly.An Employee Assistance Programme which offers immediate support for employees on a wide range of issues. We also provide employees with access to a range of advice on our dedicated Wellbeing site. And we have a longstanding, active network of 2,000 volunteer Wellbeing Champions, who arrange and deliver a large number of local events.

New Enterprise Allowance

Gavin Newlands: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many applications to the National Enterprise Allowance scheme were rejected in each of the last five years.

Gavin Newlands: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, if he will provide a breakdown of the main reasons why applications to the National Enterprise Allowance scheme were turned down in each of the last five years.

Priti Patel: The New Enterprise Allowance (NEA) is a voluntary scheme. Eligible claimants will be referred to one of our contracted NEA providers who will assess their business idea for viability and sustainability. Claimants who are not accepted onto the scheme can be re-referred at a later date. We do not hold the data on how many people are rejected by our providers.

State Retirement Pensions: British Nationals Abroad

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, if he will take steps to provide British pensioners living overseas with the same annual uprating of their state pension as British pensioners who are resident in the UK.

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what the effect is on the public purse of not annually uprating the UK state pensions of British pensioners living overseas.

Justin Tomlinson: The Government has a clear position, which has remained consistent for around 70 years: UK state pensions are payable worldwide and uprated abroad where we have a legal requirement to do so for example in the European Economic Area or countries where we have bilateral agreements. There are no plans to change this. Not uprating where there is no legal requirement to do so frees up about £0.5 billion a year which can be used to fund Government priorities in this country.

State Retirement Pensions: Females

Charlotte Leslie: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what the average financial cost is to an individual woman who has seen her state pension age increased by the maximum 18 months.

Justin Tomlinson: Women born between 6 December 1953 and 5 October 1954 will have their state pension age increased by the maximum 18 months. It is not possible to assess the income of every individual due to their differing characteristics. The impact on a small number of hypothetical cases was modelled for the 2011 Pensions Act Impact Assessment. These show how women born in 1954, affected by the maximum 18 months increase, could see their total state and private pension income change, compared to the previously legislated timetable. Women who continue to work will also receive additional income from employment. It may also be possible for women to receive other working age benefits. The impacts can be found in Table 8 of Annex A of the Impact Assessment at:https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/pensions-act-2011-impact-assessment The Department published analysis on the impact of the new State Pension (nSP) in January 2016 showing that three million women gain on average over £11pw extra State Pension by 2030:https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/new-state-pension-impact-on-an-individuals-pension-entitlement-longer-term-effectsOn average women will still receive 10% more new State Pension than men over their lifetime. The change in State Pension age is designed to equalise State Pension age between men and women and to remove a long standing inequality, while the new State Pension improves outcomes for women, bringing forward by a decade the point at which women have equivalent State Pension outcomes to men (by the early 2040s instead of the early-2050s).

Personal Independence Payment: Medical Examinations

Seema Malhotra: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what training and guidance is provided to medical assessors who examine claimants for personal independence payment on the implications of (a) dialysis and (b) other long-term medical treatments for such claimants.

Justin Tomlinson: All health professionals receive comprehensive training in disability analysis which includes a functional evaluation as to how medical conditions and the long-term medical treatment of those conditions affect an individual’s ability to perform day-to-day activities. Prior to carrying out an assessment they routinely refresh their knowledge of any condition with which they are not fully familiar.

Department for Work and Pensions: UK Membership of EU

Mr Douglas Carswell: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, with reference to the Prime Minister's Oral Statement of 22 February 2016, Official Report, column 35, on the European Council, whether his Department is undertaking planning in the eventuality of a majority leave vote in the EU referendum.

Priti Patel: The Department for Work and Pensions has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Employment and Support Allowance

Gloria De Piero: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what estimate he has made of the number of people in (a) Ashfield constituency and (b) England that will be affected by reductions in employment and support allowance.

Priti Patel: The Government set out its assessment of the impacts of the welfare policies in the Bill on 20th July last year. However forecasts for Employment and Support Allowance are made only for Great Britain and are not broken down to the level requested. As such, the information requested is not available.

Social Security Benefits: Mental Health

Luciana Berger: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what assessment he has made of the implications for his policies of the recommendations on employment support and the housing benefit cap on page 81 of the Mental Health Taskforce report, published in February 2016; and what steps he plans to take to implement those recommendations.

Justin Tomlinson: We welcome the Mental Health Taskforce Report, which sets out how important employment can be in supporting people with mental health conditions, and how to improve current services. We have already gone some way to implementing the recommendation on employment and are improving support by developing a new Work and Health programme, which will be providing employment support to claimants with a health condition or disability and the very long term unemployed. We are investing £43 million in a range of trials to develop our evidence base on what works for those with mental health conditions; and investing in increasing employment support in therapy services. The Prime Minister also recently announced over £50m investment to more than double the number of employment advisors in IAPT services, so that they are linked in to every talking therapy service in the country.We will publish a White Paper later this year that will set out reforms to improve support for people with health conditions and disabilities, including exploring the roles of employers, to further reduce the disability employment gap and promote integration across health and employment.We work closely with the supported housing sector to ensure they are supported as effectively as possible, and highly value the work they do. As part of this we have commissioned an evidence review of supported housing. The results of this research will determine our future policy development and any appropriate exemptions.

Ministry of Defence

Ministry of Defence: Documents

Douglas Chapman: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, when a copy of DCDS(MilCap)/14/06/11, dated 18 June 2014, was presented to the Procurator Fiscal.

Penny Mordaunt: A copy of the document was placed in the Library of the house on 20 March 2015 in response to Question 227404. Ministry of Defence (MOD) records suggest that it was not asked for by or provided directly to the Procurator Fiscal. The MOD routinely provides support to the Procurator Fiscal as required in order to support their investigations.

Ministry of Defence: Email

Douglas Chapman: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, if he will place in the Library a copy of email MA/DGMAA to Min(DPWV) private office 3 Dec 13 16:32.

Mark Lancaster: I have placed the requested documents in the Library of the House.

Ministry of Defence: Documents

Douglas Chapman: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, if he will place in the Library a copy of EC-01-19-01/20130205-Mil Cap Air Safety Management Plan 2103.

Penny Mordaunt: I have placed a copy of the Mil Cap Air Safety Management Plan 2013 in the Library of the House, although I am withholding Annexes D and H of the document because these consist of personal data which cannot be released.

Reserve Forces: Finance

Emily Thornberry: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, with reference to paragraph 4.46 of the National Security Strategy and Strategic Defence Review 2015, how much additional funding the Government plans to provide for investment in (a) equipment and (b) training for the reserves; and when he expects such funding to be provided.

Mr Julian Brazier: As a result of the Government's response to the 2011 Commission on Reserves and the 2013 White Paper we committed an additional investment in the Reserves of £1.8 billion over 10 years, and the Strategic Defence and Security Review 2015 confirmed our commitment to recruit and maintain a trained Reserve force of 35,000 by 2019. Our investment in the Reserves ensures that they have the same access to equipment and technology as their regular counterparts, and receive high-quality and challenging training. This year the Army is offering 22 bespoke overseas training exercises where Reserve and Regular units are paired together to improve interoperability and cohesion.We have been improving the offer we make to individual Reservists. They already receive pay for the days they train, an annual tax-exempt bounty for successfully completing their training commitment, along with medical assistance and access to welfare support for their families when on operation.In addition, since 1 April 2015 Reservists have been eligible for the new Armed Forces Pension Scheme for non-mobilised service, based on paid attendance. We have also introduced in the last two years an annual paid leave entitlement, occupational health support for injuries incurred during training, accredited training and access to Standard Learning Credits.

Nuclear Power: Accidents

Owen Thompson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, whether the Government has issued iodine tablets to households in the last five years.

Penny Mordaunt: Plans developed under the Radiation (Emergency Preparedness and Public Information) Regulations 2001 (REPPIR) to protect the public in the unlikely event of a radiation emergency involving an operational nuclear reactor, include arrangements for the issue of stable iodine tablets. The arrangements for issuing the iodine tablets are determined at the local level and include, in some cases, the pre-distribution to households in the detailed planning area.

Clyde Naval Base

Brendan O'Hara: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what assessment he has made of the potential (a) commercial and (b) other economic benefits of the expansion of HMNB Clyde to the surrounding towns and communities.

Mr Philip Dunne: It is Ministry of Defence policy not to provide a breakdown by geographical or economic area of the potential commercial and economic benefits of Government expenditure. By 2020 Her Majesty's Naval Base (HMNB) Clyde will become home to all the Royal Navy's submarines. This will create a single integrated submarine operating base at HMNB Clyde with 8,200 personnel employed there by 2022. This will generate substantial local economic activity.

Clyde Naval Base: Infrastructure

Brendan O'Hara: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, pursuant to the Answer of 19 October 2015 to Question 11029, whether assessment of the necessary infrastructure adaptations to update the facilities at HM Naval Base Clyde and Royal Naval Armament Depot Coulport has been completed.

Mr Philip Dunne: Assessments are currently under way to inform decisions and refine programme costs of the individual projects at Her Majesty's Naval Base Clyde and Royal Naval Armament Depot Coulport.

Arms Trade

Paul Flynn: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what the cost to his Department of the Export Support Team was in (a) 2013-14 and (b) 2014-15; and whether those costs have been reimbursed by the UK Trade and Investment Defence and Security Organisation.

Mr Philip Dunne: The Export Support Team is part of the Defence and Security Organisation, part of UK Trade and Investment. The Minister for Trade and Investment is responsible for administrative and funding arrangements, including attached Service personnel's capitation costs. Therefore, there is no cost to the Ministry of Defence.

Military Attachés

Paul Flynn: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what the cost was of maintaining the defence attaché network in (a) 2013-14 and (b) 2014-15; and what proportion of the cost of that network was attributable to support for defence and security exports.

Mr Philip Dunne: The following information shows Ministry of Defence funding for the Defence Attaché and Advisor Network for financial year (FY) 2013-14 and FY 2014-15.  FY 2013-14FY 2014-15 Attaché Costs £31,864,185£31,635,761FCO Platform Charges£9,919,278£13,302,918Total Cost £41,783,463£44,938,679  Support for exports is one of the many roles carried out by Defence Attachés as part of the International Defence Engagement Strategy. The Defence Attaché network has no specific budget or post allocated to this task.

Trident Submarines

Kate Hollern: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what proportion of the elements of the Successor programme has commenced production of manufacturing drawings; and when he expects all elements of that to have commenced such drawing.

Mr Philip Dunne: The production of manufacturing drawings is phased to support corresponding manufacturing activities and has commenced for long-lead elements of the Successor submarine including the propulsion plant and missile tubes.Production of the majority of manufacturing drawings will not commence until after the next approval.

Type 45 Destroyers

Emily Thornberry: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, pursuant to the Answer of 9 February 2016 to Question 25153, what the 16 recommendations are of the Independent Power and Propulsion System Performance Review are; on which Type 45 Destroyers all those recommendations have been implemented in full; and when he expects the implementation of all those recommendations to be completed across the class.

Mr Philip Dunne: The recommendations include fourteen that are are technical in nature and two that are administrative. We are currently reviewing the Independent Power and Propulsion System Performance Review, to determine what redactions are necessary before a copy is placed in the Library of the House. As part of this process, we are considering what information about the sixteen recommendations can be released. On the question of the adoption of those recommendations, I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave her to question 28036 on 1 March 2015.



QnA extract on Type 45 Destroyers
(Word Document, 14.72 KB)

Ministry of Defence: UK Membership of EU

Mr Douglas Carswell: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, with reference to the Prime Minister's Oral Statement of 22 February 2016, Official Report, column 35, on the European Council, whether his Department is undertaking planning in the eventuality of a majority leave vote in the EU referendum.

Michael Fallon: At the February European Council the Government negotiated a new settlement, giving the United Kingdom a special status in a reformed European Union. The Government's position, as set out by the Prime Minister to the House on 22 February 2016, is that the UK will be stronger, safer and better off remaining in a reformed EU.

Military Aircraft

Mr Kevan Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many Significant Occurrence Notifications the Director of General Defence Safety Authority has been notified of which involved other nations' military aircraft operating in the (a) Scottish Flight Information Region/Upper Information Region and (b) London Flight Information Region/Upper Information Region in each year since 2010; and what the (i) type of foreign military aircraft and (ii) country of origin was in each of those occurrences.

Penny Mordaunt: Since 2010 there have been no Significant Occurrence Notifications (SONs) involving other nations' military aircraft in the Scottish Flight Information Region/Upper Information Region. Four SONs have been raised relating to other nations' aircraft operating in the London Flight Information Region/Upper Information Region since 2010, all of which were notified to Director General Defence Safety Authority. These are detailed below: Date of SON issue/ Event occurrenceAircraft TypeCountry of OriginOccurrence Type7 January 2014HH-60G Pave HawkUSACrash8 October 2014F-15 EagleUSACrash13 October 2015Sea King CH-124A Mk3CanadaMaintenance accident21 October 2015F/A-18C HornetUSACrash

Department for Communities and Local Government

Homelessness

John Healey: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what steps his Department is taking to ensure that the statistics it produces on homelessness and rough sleeping comply with the Code of Practice for Official Statistics in relation to each of the requirements identified by the UK Statistics Authority in its report, Assessment of compliance with the Code of Practice for Official Statistics: Statistics on Homelessness and Rough Sleeping in England, published in December 2015.

Mr Marcus Jones: Departmental statisticians are currently using the report to help plan future developments in homelessness statistics.In 2010, we overhauled the way local authorities count rough sleepers, to provide a more accurate assessment of the scale of the problem and reflect the reality on the streets.Under the Labour Government, including when the rt hon Member was Housing Minister, the process did not actually require all local authorities to submit a return, meaning the number of rough sleepers was consistently under estimated.

Refugees: Syria

Jon Trickett: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, how many Syrian nationals have resettled in each region under the Vulnerable Persons Relocation Scheme since March 2014.

Richard Harrington: My rt. hon. Friend, the Prime Minister confirmed on 7 September 2015 that the UK would resettle an additional 20,000 Syrian refugees using the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees process for identifying and resettling refugees. On 16 December he announced that the Government had met its target of resettling 1,000 Syrian refugees by Christmas.The Home Office is committed to publishing data on the number of people resettled under the programme as part of the regular quarterly Immigration Statistics, in line with the Code of Practice for Official Statistics. The next set of figures will be in the quarterly release on 25 May 2016 and will cover the period January - March 2016. These numbers will be updated each quarter.Participation in the Resettlement Scheme is voluntary by local authorities, and some do not wish to have their participation published. As such, the statistics do not include the local authority or region to which people are resettled.

Sunday Trading

Dawn Butler: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, if he will publish as soon as possible a full analysis of responses to his Department's recent consultation on the deregulation of Sunday trading.

Brandon Lewis: The Government published its response to the consultation on 9 February.

Lobbying

Richard Burden: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, how many organisations were affected by his Department's pilot of anti-sock puppet rules; how many exemptions were made under that pilot scheme; and what estimate he has made of the savings to the public purse that arose from that pilot scheme.

Mr Marcus Jones: The guidelines ensure that government grants are only spent on the good causes and programmes spelt out in the underlying grant agreement, and prevent taxpayers’ money being diverted to unproductive lobbying. The savings are thus delivered by ensuring all such public money is properly spent on the intended purposes, rather than seeking to reduce the absolute level of government grants as a consequence of stopping taxpayer-funded lobbying.

Planning Permission

Tulip Siddiq: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, on how many occasions he has (a) revoked or (b) modified planning permission under Section 100 of the Town and Country Planning Act 1990 in each year since 2009-10; on how many such occasions the local planning authority paid compensation to developers in respect of that decision; and what the total value of the compensation paid to developers in those circumstances was in each of those years.

Brandon Lewis: The Secretary of State has not exercised his powers to revoke or modify planning permission under Section100 of the Town and Country Planning Act 1990 on any occasions since 2009-10. Accordingly, there have been no occasions where local authorities have been required to pay compensation to developers.The powers to revoke or modify planning permissions have been used very rarely, I refer the hon. Member to the Ministerial statement which can be found at:(http://www.publications.parliament.uk/pa/cm200506/cmhansrd/vo060316/text/60316w18.htm) which confirmed that such intervention by the Secretary of State can only be justified in exceptional circumstances. The power will generally be used only if the original decision is judged to be ‘grossly wrong, so that damage is likely to be done to the wider public interest’. Within the past 20 years these powers have only been exercised on two occasions in Alnwick, Northumberland and Restormel Borough, Cornwell.

Planning Permission

Tulip Siddiq: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, on how many occasions in each year since 2009-10 he has been asked to confirm a local planning authority's decision to revoke planning permission under Section 97 of the Town and Country Planning Act 1990; and on how many such occasions he (a) confirmed and (b) overturned that decision.

Brandon Lewis: Section 97 of the Town and Country Planning Act 1990 means that if it appears to the local planning authority that it is expedient to do so, it may make an order revoking any planning permission to develop land. When an order is opposed by the owner and occupier of the land or by other persons who in the authority's opinion will be affected, the order has to be submitted to the Secretary of State and shall not take effect unless it is confirmed by him.For each year since 2009/10:YearNumber submitted for confirmationConfirmedOverturned (declined to confirm)2009/1011None2010/111NoneNone2011/12NoneNoneNone2012/131NoneNone (withdrawn by authority)2013/14NoneNoneNone2014/15NoneNoneNone2015/16NoneNoneNone

Communities and Local Government: Health

Mr Virendra Sharma: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what his Department's wellness strategy is.

Brandon Lewis: The Department has a health and wellbeing strategy that reflects the wider Civil Service priorities of mental health, musculoskeletal disorders and promoting a healthy lifestyle.An effective Occupational Health and Workplace Adjustment services, together with an Employee Assistance Programme, are in place. The Department has committed and strong staff networks, including a Health and Wellbeing network.

Communities and Local Government: Ministerial Policy Advisers

Mr Virendra Sharma: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what the (a) policy and (b) other responsibilities are of each special adviser in his Department.

Brandon Lewis: I refer the hon. Member to the answer given by my rt. hon. Friend the Minister for the Cabinet Office (Matthew Hancock) today, PQ 27946.

Housing: Disability

Grahame Morris: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what discussions he has had on introducing new duties on local authorities to assess the level of need for wheelchair accessible homes and set appropriate targets in local development plans.

Grahame Morris: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what steps he has taken to ensure that local authorities meet their obligation under the National Planning Policy Framework to meet the housing needs of disabled people requiring wheelchair accessible homes.

Brandon Lewis: Local authorities are best placed to understand the housing needs in their area. We expect them to work closely with key partners and their local communities in deciding what type of housing is needed.National policy sets out clearly the need for local authorities to plan for the housing needs of all members of the community and that planning should encourage accessibility. The introduction of optional requirements for accessibility in the Building Regulations provides local authorities with the tools needed to ensure that new homes are accessible and that in particular the needs of disabled people are met.Local authorities are held accountable for their housing delivery via their Local Plans which are tested by local independent planning inspectors and are scrutinised via yearly Authority Monitoring reports which set out progress on delivery against Local Plan targets. In addition local authorities must determine individual decisions in line with the development plan and other material considerations, such as the National Planning Policy Framework and having regard to viability considerations.

Housing: Disability

Grahame Morris: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what estimate he has made of the proportion of starter homes that will be wheelchair accessible.

Brandon Lewis: Starter Homes like all new homes, will ahve to meet Building Regulations' access requirements which ensure reasonable provision for people to gain access to and use, the dwelling and its facilities.

Housing: Disability

Grahame Morris: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what steps he is taking to increase the supply of wheelchair accessible homes in the social and affordable housing sector.

Grahame Morris: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what steps he is taking to help the social housing sector maintain and increase the provision of specialist accessible and adapted housing stock for people with disabilities.

Brandon Lewis: The Government provides direct funding for specialised housing for older and disabled people through the Care and Support Specialised Housing Fund and the Affordable Homes Programme, making available up to £800 million for specialised housing for older, disabled, and vulnerable people over the next five years, which will deliver over 15,000 specialised homes.The Government is also putting more money into the Disabled Facilities Grant to enable older and disabled people to live independently and safely in their own homes for longer. On top of the £1 billion the Government has invested in the grant since 2010, the grant will increase year on year for the next five years rising to over £500 million by 2020. In 2016-17 the Disabled Facilities Grant will grow to £394 million, a 79% increase on the current year.

Housing: Disability

Grahame Morris: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what estimate he has made of the number of people requiring wheelchair accessible homes in (a) Easington, (b) the North East and (c) England.

Brandon Lewis: The Government has published data on the housing need of older and disabled people in England to support local authorities in assessing likely need in their local area. This can be found at link:https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/building-regulations-guide-to-available-disability-dataIt is for local authorities to determine specific needs in their local areas.

Housing: Disability

Grahame Morris: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what steps he has taken to secure the adequate supply of accessible homes suitable for disabled people.

James Wharton: In 2015 the Government updated planning policy and Building Regulations to support local authorities in meeting the housing needs of disabled and older people in their communities. This included the introduction of two optional levels of accessibility in the Building Regulations, Category 2 – Accessible and adaptable dwellings, and Category 3 – Wheelchair user dwellings which local authorities can apply to new development in their local area subject to needs and viability assessments.These new options work as planning conditions to planning applications. Accessibility needs are met by each project’s own finance, be it for public, social or private homes. Some adaptations by individuals are eligible for funding through disabled facilities grants.Accessibility to buildings has always been central to Approved Document M and greater concern and detail has been worked in since Disability Discrimination Act regulations 1995, 2005 and with the Equality Act 2010. Each update of Approved Document M further embeds government commitment to inclusivity and accessibility in guidance.

Planning Permission: Appeals

Tulip Siddiq: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, on how many occasions in each year since 2009-10 he has directed that a planning application appeal which would otherwise be determined by a person appointed by the Secretary of State will instead be determined by the Secretary of State, using his powers under Schedule 6, Paragraph 3 of the Town and Country Planning Act 1990.

Brandon Lewis: The attached table shows the number of S78 planning appeals that have been recovered over the last decade.



Table
(Word Document, 23.33 KB)

Planning Permission: Appeals

Tulip Siddiq: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, how many appeals against Local Planning Authority decisions by developers he has received under Section 78 of the Town and Country Planning Act 1990 in each year since 2009-10; in how many of those cases in each year did he exercise his powers under Section 79 of that Act to (a) allow under Section 79(1)(a), (b) dismiss under Section 79(1)(b), (c) decline to determine under Section 79(6), (d) dismiss under Section 79(6A) the appeal and (e) amend the planning authority's original decision in any way; and in how many such cases the Local Planning Authority subsequently paid compensation to the developer as a result of his decision.

Brandon Lewis: The attached table only covers Section 79 (1)(a) and Section 79(1)(b).We do not hold the data on section 79(6) as the legislation is very rarely used with only a handful of cases in the last 7 years. In addition, the Section 79 (6) ‘compensation’ element only allows for a party to apply for costs. This can only occur where a party has behaved unreasonably, and this has directly caused another party to incur unnecessary or wasted expense. The costs order states the broad extent of the expense the party can recover from the party against whom the award is made. It does not determine the actual amount. PPG ‘Appeals’ section 4 relates.



Table
(Word Document, 21.88 KB)

Tenants' Associations

Matthew Pennycook: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what recent consideration he has given to amending existing non-statutory guidelines on Residential Leasehold and Recognised Tenants' Associations to ensure that those who reside in larger blocks and developments have the same opportunity to gain recognition as a recognised tenants' association as those in smaller blocks and developments.

Brandon Lewis: The non-statutory guidelines available to the First-tier Tribunal (Property Chamber) when considering applications for statutory recognition of a tenants' association, apply to all residential blocks of flats, large or small.Recognising concerns raised about the ability to acquire statutory recognition, the Department published a detailed discussion paper last year to consider what more can be done through the existing guidelines to assist the tribunal when considering applications. We are currently considering responses to the discussion paper.

Community Land Trusts

Tristram Hunt: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what assessment he has made of the potential contribution of community land trusts to increasing the supply of affordable housing in the UK.

Brandon Lewis: The Department does not assess the potential contribution that individual classes of organisation, including Community Land Trusts, can make to the delivery of affordable housing. However, we recognise the role they can play in delivering locally led and innovative housing development and we are confident they will make a valuable contribution to the 400,000 affordable housing starts we have committed to deliver by 2021.

Property Development: Floods

Alex Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, if he will direct local planning authorities to reassess planning permissions granted to developments on floodplains that have been affected by recent flooding events.

Brandon Lewis: I am writing to local authorities affected by the recent floods to remind them of the options available where a development site with an unimplemented planning permission has flooded. Local planning authorities, in consultation with developers, are best-placed to consider whether reviewing a planning permission is appropriate, and what subsequent action may be required to ensure developments will be safe and resilient to flooding, in line with national planning policy.

Communities and Local Government: Publications

Jonathan Ashworth: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, how many (a) publications, (b) consultation documents and (c) circulars his Department has issued since August 2012; and what the title was of each such publication, consultation document or circular.

Brandon Lewis: The answer can be found by using the publicly available filters on GOV.UK:The Department has published 2,111 publications. Details, with full titles of each publication, can be viewed at:a) https://www.gov.uk/government/publications?keywords=&publication_filter_option=all&topics%5B%5D=all&departments%5B%5D=department-for-communities-and-local-government&official_document_status=all&world_locations%5B%5D=all&from_date=01%2F08%2F2012&to_date=The Department has published 189 consultations. Details can be viewed at:b) https://www.gov.uk/government/publications?keywords=&publication_filter_option=consultations&topics%5B%5D=all&departments%5B%5D=department-for-communities-and-local-government&official_document_status=all&world_locations%5B%5D=all&from_date=01%2F08%2F2012&to_date=The Department has published 44 circulars. Details can be viewed at:c) https://www.gov.uk/government/publications?keywords=circulars&publication_filter_option=all&topics%5B%5D=all&departments%5B%5D=department-for-communities-and-local-government&official_document_status=all&world_locations%5B%5D=all&from_date=01%2F08%2F2012&to_date=

Tenancy Deposit Schemes

Chi Onwurah: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, how many companies responded to his Department's invitation to tender for the protection of tenancy deposit scheme; and how many of those companies were small or medium-sized businesses.

Brandon Lewis: The initial procurement exercise in 2006 inviting bids to run a custodial tenancy deposit scheme and up to three insurance tenancy deposit schemes received four bids. Two of the companies were small or medium sized businesses.In 2015, the re-procurement exercise for a new custodial tenancy scheme also received four bids. Three of the companies were small or medium sized businesses.

HM Treasury

Regional Planning and Development: North of England

Michael Dugher: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, how many publicly-funded jobs relating directly to the Northern Powerhouse there are in (a) Barnsley East constituency, (b) Barnsley, (c) Yorkshire and the Humber, (d) London and (e) other regions of England.

Greg Hands: The latest regional public sector employment survey figures are available online at: http://www.ons.gov.uk/ons/rel/pse/public-sector-employment/q3-2015/index.html, the figures for Barnsley and Barnsley East can be found in the Annual Population Survey (Oct 2014-Sep 2015): https://www.nomisweb.co.uk/default.asp.

Treasury: Health

Mr Virendra Sharma: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what his Department's wellness strategy is.

Harriett Baldwin: HM Treasury takes the wellness of its staff seriously. Wellness is incorporated within the Treasury’s Health, Safety and Wellbeing policy. In 2015/16 the following wellness initiatives were given priority:reducing levels of sickness absence relating to Mental and Behavioural Disorders (including stress, depression, anxiety) and Musculoskeletal Disorders;increasing the usage of the Employee Assistance Programme (EAP); andIn addition the Treasury has signed up to two key external initiatives:the Public Health Responsibility Deal. Every April the Treasury reports to the Dept of Health on the activities carried out to meet the six pledges signed up to; andthe ‘Time to Change’ pledge. Following this a Mental Wellbeing Network was set up and a range of associated activities take place focusing on improving the mental wellbeing of Treasury employees. In addition we support and provide reasonable adjustments for a variety of physical and mental conditions and requirements.

Pensions: Lump Sum Payments

Dr Andrew Murrison: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, how many people have withdrawn more than the 25 per cent tax-free allowance from their pension fund as a lump sum since 2014.

Mr David Gauke: HM Revenue and Customs does not have information on all types of taxable pension payments taken since 2014. However, information on the taxable element of pension flexibility lump sums taken since April 2015 is collated and published quarterly. This also provides details of the number of people who have taken these payments. The publication can be found at https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/flexible-payments-from-pensions.

Infrastructure: Capital Investment

Tristram Hunt: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, how much and what proportion of National Infrastructure Pipeline spending has been allocated to projects in (a) Stoke-on-Trent local authority, (b) Cheshire East local authority, (c) the West Midlands region, (d) the South East region and (e) London.

Tristram Hunt: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, how much infrastructure investment was allocated to projects in (a) Stoke-on-Trent local authority, (b) Cheshire East local authority, (c) the West Midlands region, (d) the South East region and (e) London.

Tristram Hunt: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what proportion of national infrastructure investment has been allocated to projects in (a) Stoke-on-Trent local authority, (b) Cheshire East local authority, (c) the West Midlands region, (d) the South East region and (e) London in each year since 2010.

Greg Hands: The information requested can be obtained from “National Infrastructure Pipeline”, published in July 2015 and is available here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/national-infrastructure-pipeline-july-2015

Gin

Neil Coyle: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what steps his Department is taking to support the British gin industry.

Damian Hinds: The government is committed to supporting the British gin industry. The duty on gin was cut by 2% at March Budget 2015, building on the duty freeze at Budget 2014.

Airbnb: Payments

Chi Onwurah: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment he has made of whether payments to AirBnB constitute remittances for the purposes of financial regulation.

Harriett Baldwin: I can confirm that Airbnb is not currently an FCA-authorised firm. However, it is not for the Government to comment on the regulatory status of individual firms. It is for the FCA to decide whether a firm should be brought into regulation, based on a detailed assessment of that firm’s activities, and with reference to the regulations that the FCA is responsible for enforcing. It is for firms to review their own business operations to see whether they are carrying out regulated activities.

Transport: North of England

Tom Blenkinsop: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether he plans to provide additional funding for projects identified by the forthcoming Northern Transport Strategy.

Greg Hands: The government will need to consider the proposals from both Transport for the North and the National Infrastructure Commission before taking any funding decisions. The Government looks forward to the publication of both reports in the coming weeks.

Department for Energy and Climate Change

Fuel Poverty: Children

Tom Blenkinsop: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, what steps she is taking to reduce the number of children living in fuel poverty.

Andrea Leadsom: We are investing close to £1 billion a year to help consumers through a reformed supplier obligation and Warm Home Discount, and plan to reform both schemes to focus that funding better on those that need it most. Our ability to do that is strengthened significantly by the introduction of an improved definition of fuel poverty which captures those in genuine need who are facing the overlapping problem of a low household income and high energy costs. This low income high costs indicator has meant a change in the demographic of who is considered to be fuel poor in England - with homes with at least one child now accounting for nearly half of the fuel poor population. We will be consulting on our proposals to reform the supplier obligation and the Warm Home Discount later this year.

Cabinet Office

Electoral Fraud Review

Mr Alan Campbell: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, when he expects to receive the report and recommendations of the investigation headed by Sir Eric Pickles on electoral fraud.

John Penrose: Sir Eric Pickles will make his recommendations as soon as he is able. 66 written submissions are under consideration, as well as evidence provided in meetings with specific people and at a seminar of academics, stakeholder organisations and political parties.

Prime Minister: Pay

Jonathan Ashworth: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, how many non-pensionable bonuses were awarded to his officials in each of the last five years; and what the total of such bonuses was to the public purse.

Matthew Hancock: The Prime Minister’s office and No.10 are integral parts of the Cabinet Office.Non-pensionable bonuses are only awarded to staff in recognition of sustained high performance. This allows the Cabinet Office to reward high performance and create an organisation that delivers on its challenging objectives. The information requested since 2011-12 for all Cabinet Office staff including that of Ministerial offices has been published on the Cabinet Office website.Information on non-consolidated bonuses for 2011-12 can be found at: https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/62006/ncprp-data-collection.csv/previewInformation on non-consolidated bonuses for 2012-13 can be found at: https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/83748/CO_NCPRP.csv/previewInformation on non-consolidated bonuses for 2013-14 can be found at: https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/414856/Cabinet_Office_NCPRP_2014.csv/previewThe most up to date information for 2014-15 is due to be published in due course.

Ministerial Policy Advisers: Part-time Employment

Jonathan Ashworth: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, how the Government plans to ensure that any special advisers working part-time for Government and part-time for a campaign do not make use of departmental or government resources in their campaign work.

Matthew Hancock: Holding answer received on 29 February 2016



Special advisers are required to conduct themselves in accordance with the Code of Conduct for Special Advisers at all times.Arrangements for special advisers’ involvement in campaign activities are set out in the Cabinet Secretary’s letter of 23 February. This letter is published on www.GOV.UK.

Department for Transport: Senior Civil Servants

Louise Haigh: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, if he will investigate whether the reported comments of 22 February 2016 by Peter Wilkinson, director of Rail Passenger Services at the Department for Transport, are in breach of the Civil Service code.

Matthew Hancock: Holding answer received on 29 February 2016



This has been dealt with by the Department for Transport who have issued a statement in respect of this matter.

Ministers' Private Offices: Temporary Employment

Tom Watson: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, how many officials in the private offices group are employed on temporary contracts.

Matthew Hancock: Holding answer received on 01 March 2016



At 31 January 2016, the Private Office Group in my department employed no officials on temporary contracts.

Cabinet Office: UK Membership of EU

Mr Douglas Carswell: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, with reference to the Prime Minister's Oral Statement of 22 February 2016, Official Report, column 35, on the European Council, whether his Department is undertaking planning in the eventuality of a majority leave vote in the EU referendum.

John Penrose: Holding answer received on 01 March 2016



At the February European Council, the Government negotiated a new settlement, giving the United Kingdom a special status in a reformed European Union. The Government's position, as set out by the Prime Minister to the House on 22 February, is that the UK will be stronger, safer and better off remaining in a reformed EU.

Lobbying

Patrick Grady: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, if he will issue a response to EDM 1138, Anti-lobbying Clause in Government Grant Agreements.

Matthew Hancock: Holding answer received on 01 March 2016



The grants clause announced on 6 February prevents recipients of taxpayer-funded grants from using them to lobby rather than for the purposes for which they were given.The clause does not prevent grant recipients from meeting with ministers, responding to public consultations or giving evidence to select committees.

Cabinet Office: Senior Civil Servants

Tom Watson: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what steps his Department is taking to improve the representation of employees with a disability in the Senior Civil Service in the Cabinet Office.

Tom Watson: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what steps his Department is taking to improve Black and minority ethnic representation in the Senior Civil Service his Department.

Matthew Hancock: The Cabinet Office promotes a number of cross Government talent schemes to Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic (BAME) and disabled staff, to accelerate their promotion to Senior Civil Service roles. This includes Civil Service wide talent schemes such the Future Leaders Scheme (aimed at G6&7 staff) and the Senior Leaders Scheme (aimed at SCS Pay Band 1). Additionally, it promotes development schemes aimed specifically at BAME and disabled staff including the Accelerate talent programme (for SCS) and the Positive Action Pathway (for staff below SCS).

Employment

Luciana Berger: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what the employment rate for adults in England with (a) mental health, (b) physical health and (c) no declared health conditions has been in each year since 2010.

Mr Rob Wilson: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the UK Statistics Authority. I have asked the Authority to reply.



UKSA Letter to Member - Employment Rate
(PDF Document, 216.49 KB)

Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs: Ministerial Policy Advisers

Mr Virendra Sharma: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what the (a) policy and (b) other responsibilities are of each special adviser in her Department.

George Eustice: I refer the hon. Member to the reply given by my Rt. Hon. Friend, the Minister for the Cabinet Office and Paymaster General, to PQ UIN 27946 on 29 March.

Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs: Overseas Aid

Wendy Morton: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what her Department's spending was on Overseas Development Aid in (a) 2013-14, (b) 2014-15 and (c) the first 10 months of 2015-16; and what the recipient countries of that aid were.

Rory Stewart: Data on Defra’s Official Development Assistance funding is publicly available on the GOV.UK website where the Department for International Development’s document entitled “Dataset underlying SID 2015” is available for download at:https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/statistics-on-international-development-2015 The dataset provides a breakdown of spending by calendar year, recipient country and channel of delivery (in line with the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development’s Development Assistance Committee guidance). Defra-related information within the dataset can be found as follows: (i) Darwin Initiative projects –for 2013 funding see rows 27384 – 27496 and 32391 – 32450; for 2014 funding see rows 32458 – 32864, 34206 to 34416, 35856 to 36904, 37230 to 37234 and 40575 to 40628.(ii) International Climate Fund projects – for 2013 funding see rows 27448 and 27449; for 2014 funding see row 33528.(iii) Illegal Wildlife Trade - for 2014 funding see rows 33200, 33201, 33879, 33880 and 34845. Information on 2015 spending will be available when the next updated dataset is published later in the year.

Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs: Overtime

Jonathan Ashworth: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, how much her Department has paid to staff in overtime in each of the last 24 months.

George Eustice: The table below shows the amount of overtime paid to staff in core-Defra in each of the last 24 months. MonthAmountMonthAmountJanuary 2016£33,554January 2015£35,948December 2015£27,057December 2014£28,661November 2015£22,909November 2014£16,501October 2015£16,567October 2014£13,301September 2015£15,046September 2014£17,162August 2015£24,904August 2014£36,683July 2015£20,092July 2014£22,531June 2015£14,361June 2014£10,520May 2015£7,956May 2014£18,307April 2015£25,870April 2014£29,799March 2015£18,566March 2014£45,721February 2015£23,534February 2014£34,667

Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs: Consultants

Jonathan Ashworth: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, how many consultants' contracts were terminated early in each of the last six years for which figures are available; and what the cost of each such termination was in each of those years.

George Eustice: No consultants’ contracts were terminated early in each of the last six years.

Clean Air Zones: Finance

Daniel Zeichner: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether she plans that the implementation of Clean Air Zones in local authorities will be fully funded by central government.

Rory Stewart: The air quality plan for nitrogen dioxide we published on 17 December last year set out that we have allocated funding to help five cities in England outside London implement Clean Air Zones and meet new burdens associated with implementing the zones. We will be discussing the details of this with the relevant Local Authorities.

Animal Welfare: Trapping

Richard Burden: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment her Department has made of the potential merits of stricter regulations on the use of snares and traps.

Rory Stewart: Regulation of traps and snares balances the welfare needs of the trapped animal against the need for effective methods of killing or taking target species. With regard to snares, I refer the hon. Member to the reply given to the hon. Member for Chesterfield, Toby Perkins MP, on 11 February 2016, PQ UIN 25710. As for other kinds of trap, we already ensure all new spring traps are tested for humaneness before they are approved for use and the use of any trap is prohibited against certain species of European or national concern, for example the European otter and pine marten.

Department of Health

East Midlands Ambulance Service NHS Trust: Resignations

Keith Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how much compensation the former Chairman of East Midlands Ambulance Service NHS Trust will receive as a result of her resignation from that post.

Jane Ellison: The NHS Trust Development Authority advises that the Chair of the East Midlands Ambulance Service NHS Trust has not resigned. However, the Chief Executive, Sue Noyes, will be leaving her post in June 2016 and will be paid in line with the terms of her contract.

Pharmacy

Dr Rupa Huq: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what assessment has been made by his Department or NHS England of the effect of minor ailments services provided by community pharmacies on demand for the services of GP practices and other parts of the NHS; and what assessment he has made of the effect of planned reductions in funding for pharmacies on those services.

Alistair Burt: NHS England has taken account of the potential impact of a pharmacy minor ailments service on general practitioner services and other parts of the National Health Service. The findings of the Minor Ailment study (‘MINA’ study), conducted by the University of Aberdeen, in collaboration with NHS Grampian and the University of East Anglia, on behalf of Pharmacy Research UK in 2014, were considered. In addition, evaluations of local minor ailments schemes have continued to inform decision-making about local commissioning of such schemes. Community pharmacy is a vital part of the NHS and can play an even greater role. In the Spending Review the Government re-affirmed the need for the NHS to deliver £22 billion in efficiency savings by 2020/21 as set out in the NHS’s own plan, the Five Year Forward View. Community pharmacy is a core part of NHS primary care and has an important contribution to make as the NHS rises to these challenges. The Government believes efficiencies can be made without compromising the quality of services or public access to them. Our aim is to ensure that those community pharmacies upon which people depend continue to thrive and so we are consulting on the introduction of a Pharmacy Access Scheme, which will provide more NHS funds to certain pharmacies compared to others, considering factors such as location and the health needs of the local population. The Government’s vision is for a more efficient, modern system that will free up pharmacists to spend more time delivering clinical and public health services to the benefit of patients and the public. We are consulting the Pharmaceutical Services Negotiating Committee, other pharmacy bodies and patient and public representatives on our proposals for community pharmacy in 2016/17 and beyond. An impact assessment will be completed to inform final decisions and published in due course. Local commissioning and funding of services from community pharmacies, such as minor ailment services, will be unaffected by these proposals.

Neurology

Andrew Gwynne: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what assessment he has made of the effect on NHS (a) services and (b) governance of NHS England's decision to discontinue the role of national clinical director for neurology services from March 2016; and if he will make a statement.

Jane Ellison: Sir Bruce Keogh, NHS England’s Medical Director, has undertaken a review of the National Clinical Director (NCD) resource designed to focus clinical advisory resources on areas where major programmes of work are currently being taking forward, or areas identified as priorities for improvement. As a result of the review, NHS England has proposed to change the way in which clinical advice is received in speciality areas in the future.Where there will no longer be a specific NCD role, NHS England will secure expert clinical advice from its clinical networks and through its relationships with professional bodies and by appointing clinical advisors. For neurology it is planned that access to advice will be through clinical leads and members of the NHS England-funded neurology clinical networks, the Neurology Clinical Reference Group and Royal Colleges. It is expected that these new arrangements will be in place from 1 April 2016.

Care Homes: Fees and Charges

Dr Andrew Murrison: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what assessment he has made of changes in the number of registrations of care home residents at GP surgeries since the end of retainer fees in 2015.

Alistair Burt: Information is not collected centrally on whether a patient, registered with a general practitioner (GP) practice, is resident in a care home or their own home. GP practices provide National Health Service primary medical services under contracts with NHS England. These contracts do not distinguish between residents of care homes and other patients. Residents will be registered with a GP practice for core primary medical services whether or not a retainer is paid to a practice and are entitled to receive the same treatment from their GP as those living in their own homes. Retainer fees may be charged by a practice for providing services not covered by their contract with NHS England. However, the refusal of a care home to pay practices a retainer should not affect access to NHS primary medical services for residents of care homes.

Lyme Disease

Matthew Pennycook: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what steps his Department is taking to ensure that (a) more cases of chronic lyme disease are correctly diagnosed and (b) more people with chronic lyme disease receive the appropriate treatment.

Jane Ellison: Our aim is to ensure that cases of Lyme disease at all its stages and manifestations are recognised and treated appropriately. The National Health Service provides medical care following international guidance and most cases are dealt with by general practitioners (GPs). To help ensure people receive the appropriate treatment Public Health England has published a referral pathway for GPs to follow. Where additional investigation is required, specialist referral may be necessary and a small number of NHS clinics will see complicated cases. The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence has been commissioned to develop guidelines for the recognition and treatment of Lyme disease; this is expected in June 2018. Public Health England PHE) regularly review new tests for Lyme disease and participate in a Europe wide Quality Assurance programme to ensure that the most suitable tests available are used.In addition, PHE provide information on Lyme disease and tick awareness to the medical profession and the public, and holds regular medical training days, and works with Lyme Disease Action to support the needs and interests of patients.

Streptococcus

Douglas Chapman: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, when the National Screening Committee next plans to meet to review its recommendations on group B streptococcus screening for pregnant mothers.

Ben Gummer: In December 2015 the United Kingdom National Screening Committee commissioned a review into antenatal screening for Group B Streptococcus. More information including how to contribute to the public consultation will be available using the following link: http://legacy.screening.nhs.uk/screening-recommendations.php

Mental Health Services: Children and Young People

Norman Lamb: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, with reference to the announcement in paragraph 1.233 of Budget 2015, HC 1093, of additional funding for children and young people's mental health services, how much of this funding has been spent by NHS England to date; how such funding has been spent; and how much in total he anticipates NHS England will have spent by the end of the current financial year.

Norman Lamb: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, with reference to paragraph 1.233 of the March Budget 2015, how much of the £1.25 billion investment in mental health services has been allocated to children and young people's mental health in each clinical commissioning group in (a) 2015-16 and (b) 2016-17.

Alistair Burt: In regard to the announcement in paragraph 1.233 of Budget 2015, HC1093 March Budget 2015, of the £1.25 billion additional funding for children and young people's mental health services, the following amount has been allocated to each clinical commissioning group (CCG): For 2015-16, £105 million has been allocated to CCGs, of which:- £75 million has been allocated to transform local services through delivery of the Local Transformation Plans; and- £30 million has been allocated for new community based eating disorder services in every area of the country. For 2016-17, £119 million has been included in CCG baseline allocations, of which£30 million eating disorders funding will be allocated once the split of this funding has been agreed. The attached table contains a breakdown of the £105 million and the £119 million by CCG. Year to date spend information is not available.



Table
(Excel SpreadSheet, 32.01 KB)

Junior Doctors: Conditions of Employment

Dawn Butler: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, pursuant to the Answer of 5 November 2015 to Question 14463, what the timetable for the equality impact assessment referred to will be.

Ben Gummer: The Government and NHS Employers have made clear that an Equality Impact Assessment will be published alongside the new national contract, 90% of which was agreed with the British Medical Association in talks up to 10 February 2016.

Health Services: Foreign Nationals

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what discussions the Government has had with the governments of Australia and New Zealand on the proposed introduction of an annual change to Australian and New Zealand citizens for use of the NHS.

Alistair Burt: On 6 April 2015 the United Kingdom introduced an immigration health surcharge for non-European Economic Area nationals who come to the UK to temporarily reside for a period of over six months. At the time Australian and New Zealand nationals were granted a temporary exemption and we entered into a series of discussions with both the Australian and New Zealand Government on the introduction of the surcharge for its nationals. My Rt. hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Health wrote to both the Australian Minister for Health and New Zealand High Commissioner confirming introduction of the surcharge on 17 December 2015. Introduction of the surcharge for Australian and New Zealand nationals was publicly announced by the Home Office on 4 February 2016 and subject to Parliamentary approval, it will come into effect from 6 April 2016.

Social Services: Living Wage

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, if the Government will provide additional financial support to providers in the care industry to support such providers affected by the introduction of the living wage; and if he will make a statement.

Alistair Burt: Local authorities are responsible for commissioning adult social care services. Fee levels are agreed by local authorities and social care providers, reflecting local conditions. In setting fee levels, local authorities are obliged to consider the sustainability of their local social care market. At the Spending Review, the Government made up to £3.5 billion extra available by 2019/20 to local authorities for adult social care through the social care precept and Better Care Fund. This will help give councils more flexibility to meet local priorities as they see fit.

Social Services: Living Wage

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what assessment the Government has made of the effect on the care industry of the implementation of the living wage.

Alistair Burt: Out of an estimated 1.52 million adult social care jobs in England, up to 900,000 people are expected to benefit from the introduction of the National Living Wage. More widely across the sector, higher productivity and better-quality care through efficiency would benefit employers and care home residents and there is potential for improvements in staff retention if higher wages engendered greater job commitment. The Department continues to work in collaboration with delivery partners to support effective recruitment practices and improved retention of the care workforce. Our assessment of the effect of the National Living Wage for the Spending Review drew on projections and data on pay including information from the Office of Budget Responsibility and Skills for Care.

Heart Diseases: Research

Andrew Percy: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what steps he has taken to support the British Heart Foundations' Wear It Beat It campaign.

Jane Ellison: We congratulate the British Heart Foundation (BHF) on its Wear It Beat It campaign, which aims to raise funds for research into heart disease. Heart disease is a vital area of research. The Department’s National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) funds a wide range of research relating to these conditions, spending £49 million on cardiovascular disease research in 2014/15. The NIHR works in partnership with the BHF and other medical research charities.

Dental Services: Children

Mr Graham Allen: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what steps his Department is taking to reduce the proportion of five-year olds eligible for free school meals with severe or extensive tooth decay.

Jane Ellison: Public Health England (PHE) has produced guidance to support local authorities in their responsibility to improve dental health and reduce inequalities among children in their area. PHE has also developed guidance for dental teams on preventing dental disease in their patients. Advice has recently been published by the National Institute of Health and Care Excellence.The Department will be launching the Childhood Obesity Strategy in the summer. It will look at everything that contributes to a child becoming overweight and obese, including sugar which is a cause of tooth decay.Overall, children’s access to National Health Service dentistry remains consistently high, with the number of children seen in the 24 months to December 2015 by an NHS dentist standing at 8.1 million or 69.5% of the population. 104,000 more children saw an NHS dentist in England in the 24 month period ending 31 December 2015, compared with the same period ending 31 December 2014.

Kidney Diseases

Mrs Anne Main: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what steps he is taking to ensure that (a) the Think Kidneys programme, (b) ongoing work relating to acute kidney injury and (c) other work programmes being led by the National Clinical Director for Renal Disease for NHS England will continue to be taken forward following the discontinuance of that director's post.

Jane Ellison: Following a review of the National Clinical Directors (NCDs), NHS England will be supported by 16 NCDs from 1 April 2016. Objectives for the NCDs will be set according to the priority areas and major programmes, as set out in the Mandate and planning guidance, and where there are established programmes of service improvement. Where there will no longer be a specific NCD role for renal disease, NHS England will secure expert clinical advice from its Clinical Networks and through its relationships with professional bodies and by appointing clinical advisors. Think Kidneys is scheduled to continue until the end of 2016, and a strategy for the longer term is being developed. Wider work on renal disease will be taken forward through the specialised commissioning infrastructure within NHS England and through joint working with the Royal Colleges and specialist societies.

Mental Health Services

Holly Lynch: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what the average waiting times are for access to talking therapies in (a) the UK, (b) Yorkshire and (c) Halifax.

Alistair Burt: We do not hold the data in the format requested. What data we do hold is provided in the following table: The number of referrals entering treatment1 in the year, with mean and median waiting times to first treatment (days), for Improving Access to Psychological Therapies (IAPT) services in 2014/15. Data shown for NHS Calderdale Clinical Commissioning Group (CCG) and all Yorkshire CCGs combined2. Organisation codeOrganisation nameTotal number of referrals entering treatment3Average (mean) waiting time to first treatment appointment (days)4Median5 waiting time to first treatment appointment (days)  All England815,6653217  All Yorkshire CCGs combined71,6903921 02ENHS Calderdale CCG4,200146   1In order to enter treatment a referral must have a first treatment appointment (an appointment with a therapy type recorded) in the year.2CCG is based on general practitioner (GP) Practice. Where GP Practice is not recorded, or cannot be assigned to a CCG, the referral is categorised as 'Unknown'.3In order to enter treatment a referral must have a first treatment appointment in the year.4The mean was used as the average.5Means and medians have been rounded to the nearest whole number. Notes:Waiting time is measured by counting the number of days between a referral being received and the first treatment appointment. For 2014/15, the presence of a valid therapy type is used as an indicator of whether treatment was provided in the course of the appointment.Entering treatment figures are rounded to the nearest 5.It is generally advised that the median is used as the more reliable measure of average waiting time, as this accounts better for any outliers in the data. Source: IAPT

Department of Health: Cleaning Services

Catherine West: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what the rate of pay is for cleaners in his Department.

Jane Ellison: The Department does not directly employ cleaners. Cleaners employed by the Department’s contractors are paid £8.25 an hour.

Department of Health: Publications

Jonathan Ashworth: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many (a) publications, (b) consultation documents and (c) circulars his Department has issued since August 2012; and what the title was of each such publication, consultation document or circular.

Jane Ellison: All Department publications, including consultations and circulars to local authorities, are available on Gov.uk via: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications?departments%5B%5D=department-of-health

Ambulance Services: Migrant Workers

Tom Brake: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, if he will make an assessment of the potential effect on the number of people employed by ambulance services who are from non-EU countries of the salary threshold increase for Tier 2 visa applications to £35,000.

Ben Gummer: Data from the Home Office shows that no visas were issued to people employed by ambulance services in the last five years for roles other than paramedics. Paramedics were placed on the United Kingdom’s shortage occupation list in April 2015 and are therefore exempt from the requirement to earn £35,000 whilst the role is on the shortage occupation list.

Cancer: Clinical Trials

Mr John Baron: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what progress his Department has made on establishing cancer clinical alliances; and what the function of those alliances will be.

Jane Ellison: Forming cancer alliances to drive and support improvement and care pathways was a key recommendation of the independent Cancer Taskforce report, Achieving World-Class Cancer Outcomes, published in July 2015. NHS England appointed Cally Palmer CBE as National Cancer Director to lead on implementation of the strategy and she has since established a new cross-system Cancer Transformation Board, which met for the first time on 25 January. There will also be a Cancer Advisory Group, chaired by Sir Harpal Kumar, to oversee and scrutinise the work of the Transformation Board. NHS England is currently working with national, regional and local partners to develop the model for cancer alliances, building on the successes of existing clinical networks.

Mental Hospitals: Baby Care Units

Gloria De Piero: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many mother and baby beds are available in mental health units or hospitals in (a) Nottinghamshire and (b) the East Midlands region.

Alistair Burt: We are advised by NHS England that there are seven mother and baby beds in mental health units for Nottinghamshire and a total of 13 in the East Midlands, provided as follows: Nottinghamshire Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust Perinatal (seven beds), and Derbyshire Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust Mother and Baby Unit (six beds).

Meningitis: Vaccination

Gloria De Piero: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what steps his Department is taking to inform families with young children who were born before the cut-off for the new meningitis B vaccination programme about the symptoms of meningitis.

Jane Ellison: The introduction of meningitis B (MenB) immunisation in September 2015 was supported by a comprehensive media and communications campaign led by Public Health England (PHE) in association with health partners and meningitis charities. Key objectives of this campaign were two-fold: to promote vaccination to parents of eligible children and raise awareness of the disease among parents, and to emphasise that not all strains can be prevented by immunisation. This led to significant coverage of the disease and its symptoms across social media, national, local and parenting media. The coverage included practical advice on recognising the symptoms, and the need to act quickly, supported by interviews with families affected by the disease on major news channels. The introduction of the adolescent MenACWY campaign in August 2015 was supported by a similar campaign that provided further opportunities to raise awareness of meningococcal disease. PHE also produces a range of leaflets for the public providing detailed information to help parents with young children identify the early signs of meningitis. The leaflets include links to the web sites of meningitis charities and NHS Choices for those parents wishing to access more extensive information about meningococcal disease. PHE also supports influential meningitis charities in the implementation of awareness campaigns. In addition, PHE undertakes detailed surveillance of the disease, publishing routine reports and taking appropriate action to alert the public to any increase in incidence or change in the pattern of the disease. Appropriate media and communications activities are implemented to coincide with these publications, often ahead of the winter, when cases of the disease peak.

Mental Health Task Force

Luciana Berger: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, whether it is his policy to accept and implement the (a) 25 recommendations made to NHS England and (b) 21 recommendations made to his Department by the Mental Health Taskforce in its report published in February 2016.

Alistair Burt: We welcome the publication of the independent Mental Health Taskforce report and accept its recommendations for the National Health Service and the Department. We will work with other Government Departments, NHS England and other health arm’s length bodies to work to embed the recommendations into our work programmes.

Colorectal Cancer: Drugs

Mark Durkan: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what discussions his Department has had with NHS England on funding for Erbitux from April 2016.

George Freeman: I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave on 24 February 2016 to Question 27585.

Suicide

Luciana Berger: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, with reference to the recommendations on page 13, paragraph 2, of the Mental Health Taskforce report, published in February 2016,  what steps he is taking to ensure all local areas have a multi-agency suicide prevention plan.

Alistair Burt: We welcome the recommendation by the independent Mental Health Taskforce that every area should have a local suicide prevention plan in place delivered through multi-agency groups. We will be working with Public Health England to engage and support local authorities that do not have a local multi-agency suicide prevention plan to put one in place. I will be meeting soon with Departmental officials and our delivery partner organisations on suicide prevention to explore ways in which we can work together to re-invigorate the National Suicide Prevention Strategy, including improving local delivery of its aims.

Junior Doctors: Pay

Mr Roger Godsiff: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what steps are being taken to ensure that the pay calculator for junior doctors published by the Government is accurate; and when that calculator will be made available.

Ben Gummer: The pay calculator accurately reflects the position of junior doctors were they to be working any of the illustrative rotas in the pay calculator. As pay is directly related to the number of hours worked including the number of unsocial hours, different rotas will give different results. NHS Employers are considering how to provide more information for juniors who are working a different balance of hours from those in the illustrative rotas.

Mental Health Services: Children and Young People

Luciana Berger: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, pursuant to the Answer of 26 February 2016 to Question 28083, when he expects the Children and Young People's Improving Access to Psychological Therapies Programme to (a) cover the whole country and (b) extend into other clinical areas including meeting the needs of children aged 0 to 5; and what other clinical areas he expects that programme to expand into.

Alistair Burt: The Children and Young People’s Improving Access (CYP IAPT) Programme is delivered by NHS England and Health Education England. The service transformation programme is aiming to cover community Child and Adolescent Mental Health Partnerships of commissioners and providers across the whole of England by the end of 2018. The CYP IAPT programme is expanding geographically and in scope. As part of this expansion NHS England has worked with Health Education England and set up a 0-5’s expert reference group (ERG). The ERG is in the final stages of development of a competency based educational programme for early years practitioners from a range of disciplines. Three other new curricula are also at the final stages of development. ― Combination Therapy - psychological and pharmacological interventions;― Evidence Based Counselling; and― Evidence Based Psychological Therapies for CYP with mental health problems and autism spectrum disorder and/or a learning disability. All four curricula will be ready for delivery in higher education institutions within the financial year 2016/17.

Doctors: Working Hours

Mr Roger Godsiff: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what research his Department has conducted or commissioned on the length of time taken by doctors to adjust to day shifts after night shifts; and whether his Department has formed a policy on the minimum and maximum number of consecutive night shifts doctors should work.

Ben Gummer: The Department has not directly commissioned such research. A number of previously published papers and studies on shift working informed negotiations with the British Medical Association (BMA). The limits on working hours in the new contract were agreed in discussions with the BMA and include a maximum of four consecutive night shifts and a minimum of 48 hours rest after three or four consecutive night shifts. We have also agreed to review the operation of the contract with the BMA to identify whether we can move further on night working.

Junior Doctors: Working Hours

Mr Roger Godsiff: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, with reference to the illustrative rotas for junior doctors, published by NHS Employers on 18 February 2016, what assessment his Department has made of the potential effect of doctors switching to night shifts for a single shift only on the effectiveness of those rotas.

Ben Gummer: It is a matter for employers to design rotas that meet the service needs of the National Health Service organisation and the training needs of the doctor. This would include the pattern of working night shifts subject to the limitations in the new contract. NHS Employers is committed to supporting employers to adhere to good rostering practices as the new contract is introduced and will feed this into the contract review process agreed with the British Medical Association as part of the contract negotiations.

Junior Doctors: Working Hours

Mr Roger Godsiff: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what assessment his Department has made of the capacity within the illustrative rota for junior doctors, published by NHS Employers on 18 February 2016, to (a) take sick leave, (b) take study leave, (c) take annual leave, (d) work-part time and (e) gain required out-of-hours experience.

Ben Gummer: The rotas used in the calculator are actual examples of rotas being used in the National Health Service, appropriately adjusted to reflect the rules agreed in negotiations with the British Medical Association and included in the new contract. These rotas are illustrative. The work schedule process that underpins the new contract will allow for study leave and annual leave. Sick leave is generally covered by engaging a locum. Where doctors are training on a part time basis, work schedules are adjusted to reflect that. Any curriculum requirements to work out of hours would be addressed as part of the work scheduling process for the training programme concerned.

Junior Doctors: Working Hours

Mr Roger Godsiff: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what assessment his Department has made of the appropriateness of the length of time junior doctors will be off shift following a nine or 10 hour night shift in the illustrative rotas for junior doctors, published by NHS Employers on 18 February 2016.

Ben Gummer: The new safeguards around shift working are based upon the UK Working Time Regulations, which set out minimum rest requirements between shifts. The new contract goes significantly further than these requirements. It reduces the number of consecutive shifts of nine or 10 hours length to eight from the current 12, with a 48 hour rest break, with further restrictions on consecutive long shifts or night shifts. This was agreed as reasonable with the British Medical Association. The illustrative rotas reflect these safeguards.

Junior Doctors: Working Hours

Mr Roger Godsiff: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, by what communication channels his Department has responded to the concerns expressed by junior doctors about the illustrative rotas, published by NHS Employers on 18 February 2016; for what reasons his Department used Facebook as one of those channels; and if he will make an assessment of the effect of the timing of that Facebook conversation on the number of junior doctors who were aware of that conversation.

Ben Gummer: NHS Employers, who are leading the introduction of the new contract, are engaging with juniors via a number of channels including Facebook. Issues around rotas raised by junior doctors are being dealt with in a variety of ways, including by updated Frequently Asked Questions that are published on the NHS Employers website. The Department continues to respond to individual correspondence it receives.

Junior Doctors: Working Hours

Mr Roger Godsiff: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, with reference to the illustrative rota number 15 for junior doctors published by NHS Employers on 18 February 2016, for what reasons that rota requires junior doctors to work on consecutive weekends; whether rota 15 has been updated since its original publication; and whether the illustrative rotas will provide for more junior doctors to be on duty at weekends than there are at present.

Ben Gummer: Only a small number of junior doctors currently work one weekend in two and NHS Employers agreed with the British Medical Association (BMA) that they would work together to move towards no junior doctor working more than one weekend in three as part of an agreed future contract review process. No junior doctor will be required to work consecutive weekends. The illustrative rota concerned has been adjusted to reflect this. However, the BMA said in negotiation that doctors working very frequent weekends would prefer the flexibility to group weekends of work together in order to group weekends off. This will be possible by agreement under the new contract.

Women and Equalities

Education: Equality

Maria Caulfield: To ask the Minister for Women and Equalities, if she will take steps to ensure that there is equality of educational achievement between girls and boys in schools.

Nick Gibb: Evidence shows that girls outperform boys on average at the end of primary and secondary school. The attainment of boys has been improving in primary school: in 2015, 77% of boys achieved the expected standard in reading, writing and mathematics at the end of key stage 2, compared to 71% in 2012. Nonetheless, more remains to be done to raise levels of achievement amongst boys at all key stages.While girls have higher attainment, they are still less likely than boys to pursue further study beyond the end of secondary school in subjects such as mathematics and physics – although the number of girls entered for A levels in these particular subjects has risen by 13 percent and 16 percent respectively since 2010.In addressing these issues, we have placed high expectations at the heart of our school system through our new curriculum and reformed exams – and our new accountability system will reward those schools that encourage every child, boys and girls alike, to achieve their best. We are committed to delivering educational excellence everywhere so that every child, regardless of gender or background, can reach their potential.